Dementia Japan 34:2-7, 2020

Alzheimer’s disease treatment targeting microglial Aβ clearance

Naotoshi Iwahara^1）2）, Shun Shimohama^1）

^1）Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University
^2）Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics and Neurology, Boston University of Medicine

Alzheimer’s disease （AD） is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases responsible for progressive dementia.  Accumulation of activated microglia in and around senile plaques has been demonstrated in autopsied brains from AD patients, and considered to modulate amyloid β （Aβ） clearance, inflammation and oxidative stress.  We recently reported that galantamine, one of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor （AChEI）, and transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） accelerate microglial uptake of Aβ, and improve cognitive function of AD model mice.  Our data indicates that enhancement of Aβ clearance by microglia can be a new approach for AD therapy.

Address correspondence to Dr. Naotoshi Iwahara, Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics and Neurology, Boston University of Medicine （72 East Concord St, Boston, MA 02118, USA）