The brain is protected by physical barriers that control what enters the brain from the bloodstream. One of these barriers is the choroid plexus, a tissue that serves both as a barrier and a signal distributor through the brain. During aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the brain barriers can be compromised and allow unwanted blood components to enter the brain directly and further propagate inflammation. Barrier dysfunctions have been previously described in the choroid plexus; however, the onset of these dysfunctions during AD remains unknown. Our laboratory has started to study inflammation in the choroid plexus in mice, using microscopes to visualize how immune cells change in real time in the tissue. We found that immune cells living in the choroid plexus increase in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s, but we do not know what signals these cells are responding to, and when these critical signals start to emerge in our Alzheimer’s mouse model. By combining our live imaging tools with fluorescent sensors for inflammatory molecules and labeled immune cells, we plan to evaluate the interplay of these signals and cells in the choroid plexus as AD progresses. Establishing the timeline of inflammation in this brain barrier during AD could help us identify time windows for potentially dampening inflammation and evaluating the impact of these interventions on cognitive decline.
