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@ARTICLE{Meyer:280284,
author = {Meyer, Carolin and Niedermeier, Theresa and Feyen, Paul L C
and Strübing, Felix L and Rauchmann, Boris Stephan and
Karali, Katerina and Gentz, Johanna and Tillmann, Yannik and
Landgraf, Nicolas Friedrich and Rumpf, Svenja-Lotta and
Ochs, Katharina and Wind-Mark, Karin and Biechele, Gloria
and Wagner, Jessica and Guersel, Selim and Kurz, Carolin and
Schweiger, Meike and Prtvar, Danilo and Shi, Yuan and
Banati, Richard B and Liu, Guo-Jun and Middleton, Ryan J and
Mitteregger-Kretzschmar, Gerda and Perneczky, Robert and
Koeglsperger, Thomas and Neher, Jonas J and Tahirovic,
Sabina and Brendel, Matthias and Herms, Jochen and Paeger,
Lars},
title = {{E}arly {L}ocus {C}oeruleus noradrenergic axon loss drives
olfactory dysfunction in {A}lzheimer's disease.},
journal = {Nature Communications},
volume = {16},
number = {1},
issn = {2041-1723},
address = {[London]},
publisher = {Springer Nature},
reportid = {DZNE-2025-00939},
pages = {7338},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Alzheimer's disease (AD) often begins with non-cognitive
symptoms such as olfactory deficits, which can predict later
cognitive decline, though the mechanisms remain unclear.
Pathologically, the brainstem locus coeruleus (LC), the main
source of the neurotransmitter noradrenalin (NA) modulating
olfactory information processing is affected early. Here we
show early and distinct loss of noradrenergic input to the
olfactory bulb (OB) coinciding with impaired olfaction in an
AD mouse model, before appearance of amyloid plaques.
Mechanistically, OB microglia recognize and phagocytose LC
axons. Reducing phagocytosis genetically preserves LC axons
and olfaction. Prodromal AD patients display elevated
TSPO-PET signals in the OB, similarly to AppNL-G-F mice. We
further confirm early LC axon degeneration in post-mortem
OBs in patients with early AD. Our findings reveal a
mechanism linking early LC damage to hyposmia in AD,
suggesting olfactory testing and neurocircuit imaging for
early diagnosis and enable timely therapeutic intervention
for Alzheimer's disease.},
keywords = {Alzheimer Disease: pathology / Alzheimer Disease:
physiopathology / Alzheimer Disease: metabolism / Alzheimer
Disease: diagnostic imaging / Alzheimer Disease:
complications / Locus Coeruleus: pathology / Locus
Coeruleus: metabolism / Animals / Humans / Axons: pathology
/ Axons: metabolism / Olfactory Bulb: pathology / Olfactory
Bulb: metabolism / Olfactory Bulb: physiopathology / Mice /
Male / Disease Models, Animal / Female / Mice, Transgenic /
Microglia: metabolism / Microglia: pathology /
Norepinephrine: metabolism / Aged / Phagocytosis /
Adrenergic Neurons: pathology / Adrenergic Neurons:
metabolism / Olfaction Disorders: pathology / Amyloid
beta-Protein Precursor: genetics / Amyloid beta-Protein
Precursor: metabolism / Smell: physiology / Aged, 80 and
over / Mice, Inbred C57BL / Plaque, Amyloid: pathology /
Norepinephrine (NLM Chemicals) / Amyloid beta-Protein
Precursor (NLM Chemicals)},
cin = {AG Herms / AG Garthe / AG Tahirovic / AG Neher (München) /
AG Dichgans / Clinical Research (Munich) / AG Haass},
ddc = {500},
cid = {I:(DE-2719)1110001 / I:(DE-2719)1740001 /
I:(DE-2719)1140003 / I:(DE-2719)1110011 / I:(DE-2719)5000022
/ I:(DE-2719)1111015 / I:(DE-2719)1110007},
pnm = {352 - Disease Mechanisms (POF4-352) / 353 - Clinical and
Health Care Research (POF4-353)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-352 / G:(DE-HGF)POF4-353},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:40781079},
pmc = {pmc:PMC12334674},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-025-62500-8},
url = {https://pub.dzne.de/record/280284},
}