It’s in the Blue Spot: Phasic Locus Coeruleus Brain Stimulation Rescues Cognitive Decline in a Pre-Tangle Tau Alzheimer’s Disease Rat Model

Abstract

The accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau (pre-tangle tau) protein in locus coeruleus neurons marks the beginning of the pathological changes that may develop into Alzheimer’s disease. Post-mortem human brain studies reveal that pre-tangle tau spreads from the locus coeruleus to other brain regions resulting in memory loss and cognitive decline. The neuronal activity of the locus coeruleus occurs in phasic and tonic modes, and its neurons are predictors of human cognition. Phasic activation is associated with novelty, while high tonic activity signals stress.