Findings on Neurodegeneration Reported by Investigators at Vanderbilt University (Glycosphingolipids Are Linked To Elevated Neurotransmission and Neurodegeneration In a Drosophila Model of Niemann Pick Type C).

A study conducted at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, explores the relationship between glycosphingolipids, neurotransmission, and neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Niemann Pick Type C (NPC). The researchers found that Npc1a nulls and brainiac mutants had elevated neurotransmission, suggesting that Npc1a and brn function within the same pathway. Inhibition of glucosylceramide (GlcCer) synthase prevented elevated neurotransmission, indicating that GlcCer is responsible for the increased synaptic transmission. The study concludes that there are causal links between glycosphingolipid-dependent neurotransmission and neurodegeneration in this NPC disease model. [Extracted from the article]