Brain-clearing cells offer clues to slowing Alzheimer's disease progression

Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper published in Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism that appears to enable the buildup 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.