Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
Published on: March 23, 2011
How can viruses influence the neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the aged human brain
Abstract:
Age is one of the key risk factors of several human neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer΄s disease and Parkinson΄s disease. During aging the immune system of the brain undergoes multiple structural and functional changes. The major immune cells of the brain - microglia and astrocytes - significantly change their morphology and functional state during aging. Similarly, the blood brain barrier (BBB), that is considered to be the iron curtain protecting the brain parenchyma against invasion of the pathogens, can be influenced by aging. This state of altered brain immunity may lead to the increased brain vulnerability to viral infections, primoinfection as well as reactivation. We hypothesize that impairment of the brain immunity and BBB integrity can create the optimal condition for viral infection that can further amplify the neuroinflammation mediated by glial cells and neurodegeneration induced and driven by disease modified proteins.
Related Concept Videos
Arboviral Encephalitis
Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Disorders of the Nervous Tissue
Homeostatic Imbalances:
Alzheimer's disease manifests as a gradual decline in memory and cognitive abilities, attributed to the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
Parkinson's disease arises from the...
