Amyloid Beta Impairs Microglia Function in Alzheimer’s Disease

Dysregulated lipid metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease causes lipid buildup in microglia, reducing the immune cell’s ability to clear amyloid beta plaques.

Originally Written by Shelby Bradford, PhD, in the Scientist, on August 18,2025


 

Amyloid β plaques damage neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers showed they also dysregulate lipid metabolism in microglia, halting the cells’ phagocytic function. Image credit:©iStock.com, Miyako Nakamura

While amyloid β plaques are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), recent research suggests that they aren’t the only players in the neurodegenerative disorder. Genome-wide association studies and RNA sequencing data indicate that microglia, the Pac-Man-like cells of the brain that clean up debris and prune unnecessary neurons, are also important.1,2

Gaurav Chopra, a neuroscientist and immunologist at Purdue University, and his team wanted to know how amyloid β affects microglia. While microglia are initially critical in isolating and removing these plaques, sustained inflammatory activation promotes cell damage, and the microglia lose their ability to phagocytose the plaques with age.3,4 However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood.

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