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Medical researchers have used a 3D human neural cell culture model to show that the exercise-induced muscle hormone, irisin, reduces the level of amyloid beta deposits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers who previously developed the first 3D human cell culture models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that displays two major hallmarks of the condition — the generation of amyloid beta deposits followed by tau tangles — have now used their model to investigate whether the exercise-induced muscle hormone irisin affects amyloid beta pathology.

As reported in the journal Neuron, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-led team has uncovered promising results suggesting that irisin-b...

Two skin cells of a mouse show the flow of calcium into the cell in response to a dose of histamine (lower panel). Duke researchers have shown that an ion channel called TRPV4 is the beginning of a chain of messages that ends up signaling “itch” to the brain. Credit: Yong Chen, Duke University

A potential drug target for itching sensations has been developed by researchers. Their work shows that skin cells – when exposed to certain itch-producing chemicals – can powerfully regulate nearby sensory nerve cells and facilitate transmission of the itchy feelings to the brain. The ion channel TRPV4 functions in skin cells as a pivotal switch in this newly revealed signaling pathway. Prof. Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., Ph...