The brain cells of individuals with Lewy body dementia contain accumulations of the protein α-synuclein, termed Lewy bodies, which are thought to damage nerve cells and cause the symptoms experienced by patients. However, not all nerve cells of the brain are equally vulnerable to Lewy bodies, and understanding what stops some cells developing Lewy bodies is crucial to develop ways to protect the brain from damage and recover functions lost as a result of Lewy body formation.
We isolate nerve cells from post-mortem brain tissue and stem cells to help understand why some cells develop Lewy bodies and some do not. The aim of these studies is to identify what stops some nerve cells getting Lewy bodies, in the hope that we can use this information to develop treatments to protect the brain from Lewy body disease.
This project is led by Dr Daniel Erskine and is funded by Alzheimer's Research UK.