AAIC 2018 | Oligodendrocyte breakdown: a driving force in Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a decline in cognitive function, often thought to be a result of amyloid plaques accumulating in the brain. In this video, recorded at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2018, in Chicago, IL, Karl Herrup, PhD, of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, SAR, P.R. China, talks about research being conducted in oligodendrocytes, cells that produce the myelin sheath. Prof. Herrup discusses how the degeneration of these cells can set a series of events into motion that may contribute to Alzheimer’s, producing the characteristic chronic inflammation of the brain, and concludes his talk by mentioning the potential causes of oligodendrocyte degeneration.