Researchers at McGill University have just made a major breakthrough, finding a new mechanism in Alzheimer’s disease that could lead to advancements in how we address it. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, focuses on the role that RNA molecules play in synaptic transmission.

Scientistgs found that RNAs responsible for encoding synaptic proteins degrade much more rapidly than in healthy brain cells for Alzheimer’s patients, and they also determine that the protein that stabilizes RNAs isn’t nearly as plentiful in Alzheimer’s patients’ neurons.

The findings suggest that lowl levels of the protein RBFOX1 may have a big impact on the faulty connections that are tied to Alzheimer’s. Such findings could give scientists a new lead in looking for ways to treat the illness.

“McGill University researchers have discovered a cellular mechanism that may contribute to the breakdown of communication between neurons in Alzheimer’s disease,” a statement reads. “Their study, published in Nature Communications, homes in on the role of RNA molecules involved in synaptic transmission — the process through which neurons communicate with each other. In the brain tissue of Alzheimer’s patients, the RNAs that encode synaptic proteins are degraded more rapidly than in healthy brain cells, the researchers found. They also discovered that a protein that helps stabilize these RNAs was less abundant in the neurons of Alzheimer’s patients.”