Alzheimer’s disease is known for a buildup of a protein called tau. Scientists have found a new way that this protein may collect in the brain.
The study used mice, lab cells, and real human tissue. It points to a special type of brain cell called a tanycyte.
What Are Tanycytes?
Tanycytes are not nerve cells. They sit near the third ventricle, a fluid‑filled space in the brain. They help move signals from the blood to the cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain and spine.
How Tanycytes Clear Bad Tau
Researchers discovered that tanycytes can pick up toxic tau from the cerebrospinal fluid and send it into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, the body can get rid of the protein.
If this transport system stops working, tau stays in the brain and can cause damage.
In both mouse and human samples, the scientists saw that tanycytes in Alzheimer’s patients were broken and showed changes in their genes.
What This Means for Treatment
The findings suggest that keeping the brain’s internal balance might slow down nerve damage. However, making medicines that target tanycytes is still hard.
Scientists need better animal models that truly copy Alzheimer’s disease. They also need bigger, longer studies with many patients to prove cause and effect.
Overall, this work gives the first clear proof that tiny, often‑overlooked brain cells change in Alzheimer’s disease.
The research was funded by the European Research Council, the National Institutes of Health, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, and the Fondation NRJ for Neuroscience‑Institut de France.