Understanding the role of inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or infection, designed to protect and heal. But when inflammation happens in the brain and becomes chronic, it can play a harmful role, especially in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and age-related macular degeneration.
In these diseases, certain immune cells in the brain become overactive. Normally, these cells help clear out damaged tissue or harmful substances. However, if they stay activated for too long or react too strongly, they release chemicals that can damage healthy brain cells instead of protecting them. This ongoing inflammation creates a cycle where more damage leads to more inflammation.
Recent research has shown that specific pathways inside these immune cells drive this damaging inflammation. For example, one pathway called cGAS-STING has been found to be abnormally active in Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered that a rare genetic mutation can slow down this pathway’s activity and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by calming brain inflammation. This suggests that targeting such inflammatory pathways could be a promising way to treat or prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects vision as people get older, also involves inflammation in its development. While treatments exist for some forms of AMD related to abnormal blood vessel growth (“wet” AMD), other forms linked closely with chronic inflammation (“dry” AMD) remain challenging to treat effectively. Researchers are exploring therapies aimed at reducing inflammatory signals as potential ways to slow down or stop disease progression.
The connection between low-grade chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration extends beyond just physical symptoms—it may also influence mood and memory problems seen in many patients with these conditions. Diet and lifestyle factors that reduce systemic inflammation might therefore have an important role alongside medical treatments.
Understanding how brain inflammation contributes to nerve cell damage opens new doors for developing therapies focused on calming this harmful immune response rather than just treating symptoms after damage occurs. It shifts part of the focus toward preventing excessive immune activation inside the nervous system as a key step toward healthier aging brains.
