Mapping and rejuvenating the brain glycocalyx to improve resiliency

This project focuses on the brain’s “glycocalyx”—a complex network of sugars on the cell surface, which plays a crucial role in many brain functions including how neurons connect and communicate and how memories are formed and stored. Despite the glycocalyx’s importance in the brain’s response to aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, the exact roles and changes of the glycocalyx throughout life are poorly understood.

The project's goal is to map this sugar network in the aging mouse brain, understand how it controls neuronal functions, and engineer it to improve brain resiliency. The research team will combine cutting-edge technologies across glycobiology, neuroscience, and genomics to create a detailed map of the aging glycocalyx, investigate how changes in this network can affect neuronal functions, and develop tools to rejuvenate the brain glycocalyx. For example, the team will examine how altering sugar coating on neurons can influence memory formation, with the hope for new strategies for treating dementia.

This research will offer new insights into how the brain ages, identify potential biomarkers for early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, and develop novel therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing brain resilience against aging and disease. This pioneering work will open a new frontier, where age-related cognitive decline can be treated by manipulating sugars on the surface of brain cells.