Alzheimer’s targets brain cells that help people stay awake
The new finding could fundamentally refocus dementia research
![nerve cells](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/081519_ls_alzheimers_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
SLEEPY TIME In part of a human brain stem, a healthy nerve cell (red, left) releases a chemical messenger involved in wakefulness. Nearby, a nerve cell (brown, right) packed with tau, a protein tied to Alzheimer’s, is too damaged to work properly.
L. Grinberg