IMR Press / JIN / Volume 22 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.31083/j.jin2206150
Open Access Review
The Pathogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease: TREM2 as a Potential Target
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1 Department of Physical Education, Henan Normal University, 453007 Xinxiang, Henan, China
2 College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, 100875 Beijing, China
*Correspondence: fanyongzhao@cupes.edu.cn (Yongzhao Fan); jiwenliang@bnu.edu.cn (Wenliang Ji)
J. Integr. Neurosci. 2023, 22(6), 150; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.jin2206150
Submitted: 11 May 2023 | Revised: 11 July 2023 | Accepted: 13 July 2023 | Published: 30 October 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is ranked as the third-most expensive illness and sixth leading cause of mortality. It is associated with the deposition of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) in neural plaques (NPs), as well as intracellular hyperphosphorylated tau proteins that form neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). As a new target in regulating neuroinflammation in AD, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is highly and exclusively expressed on the microglial surface. TREM2 interacts with adaptor protein DAP12 to initiate signal pathways that mainly dominant microglia phenotype and phagocytosis mobility. Furthermore, TREM2 gene mutations confer increased AD risk, and TREM2 deficiency exhibits more dendritic spine loss around neural plaques. Mechanisms for regulating TREM2 to alleviate AD has evolved as an area of AD research in recent years. Current medications targeting Aβ or tau proteins are unable to reverse AD progression. Emerging evidence implicating neuroinflammation may provide novel insights, as early microglia-related inflammation can be induced decades prior to the commencement of AD-related cognitive damage. Physical exercise can exert a neuroprotective effect over the course of AD progression. This review aims to (1) summarize the pathogenesis of AD and recent updates in the field, (2) assess the concept that AD cognitive impairment is closely correlated with microglia-related inflammation, and (3) review TREM2 functions and its role between exercise and AD, which is likely to be an ideal candidate target.

Keywords
AD
pathogenesis
neuroinflammation
TREM2
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