Researchers have revealed the presence of a functional urea cycle in the star-shaped cells of the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) brain. Key results point to the role of the urea cycle in amyloid-beta plaque clearance, and the memory impairment caused by consequent excess GABA, ammonia, and H2O2 production. Astrocyte-specific silencing of enzyme ODC1 in AD mouse model rescues memory impairment and can be a potential new therapeutic target against the disease.
