The slow, continuous, devastating march of Alzheimer's disease continues to move across the globe. As a society, we are at a loss for options to treat or reverse the death of neurons-the final, apparently inescapable, hallmark of the disease. A continued focus on these dying neurons has taught us much about the disease but with no knowledge-based effective treatment in sight. A surge of interest in non-neuronal cells, including glia, blood vasculature, and immune cells, has shed new light on how we may better diagnose and treat patients. This may be our best hope to treat the millions patients with cognitive decline and memory loss.-Liddelow, S. A. Modern approaches to investigating non-neuronal aspects of Alzheimer's disease.
Keywords: astrocyte; glia; microglia; neurodegenerative disease.