Study reveals a disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration

Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper publishing March 5 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism that appears to enable the build-up of tau. The study, which employed animal and cellular models as well as patient tissues, suggests a key role for tanycytes-specialized brain cells that regulate brain-body signaling.

Our findings reveal a previously underappreciated, disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration. Focusing on tanycyte health could be a way to improve tau clearance and limit disease progression."

Tanycytes are a type of non-neuronal brain cell that are primarily found in the third ventricle of the brain. Previous research has shown that these cells play an active role in shuttling metabolic signals between the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord and acts as a communication hub for maintaining homeostasis.

In this study, the researchers sought to better understand how tanycytes clear toxic molecules such as tau to preserve brain health. They found that the brain cells carry toxic molecules out of the CSF and into the blood for disposal, and that when they don't work properly, tau can accumulate in the brain.