The Role of Impaired Synaptic Vesicle Machinery Proteostasis in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis

Despite the tremendous biomedical research efforts of the past century, Alzheimer’s disease remains an incurable form of dementia that affects more than 44 million people worldwide. While it is known that the most prevalent early symptom of AD is memory impairment, a precise understanding of the molecules and mechanisms that underlie memory loss remain unknown. This project investigates the possibility that synapse malfunction and memory failure in AD may be caused, in part, by impaired degradation of the synaptic vesicle (SV) machinery. Lack of properly functioning SV machinery over months and years leads to an eventual halt in synaptic communication, contributing to progressive cognitive decline. This research proposes to provide a new understanding of synaptic dysfunction in AD and identify potential therapeutic targets.