Preventing ‘Traffic Jams’ in Brain Cells

University at Buffalo biologists found that presenilin, a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, helps control how fast materials travel along the internal 'highways' of nerve cells. In fruit-fly larvae, lowering presenilin cleared blockages and sped up transport, suggesting a possible way to prevent the pile-ups seen in neurodegenerative disease. The release includes a short video of cargo moving through a neuron.