Stress regulates Alzheimer’s disease progression via selective enrichment of CD8+ T cells
Yilin Feng, Jiaqi Fan, Yifan Cheng, Qionghai Dai, Shaohua Ma
Abstract
This study investigates stress's impact on Alzheimer's disease (AD) using male APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Negative stressors (chronic social defeat, restraint) and positive hedonia (environmental enrichment, EE) were applied. Stress worsens AD pathology, while EE slows progression. Brain RNA sequencing reveals interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 as key stress-related AD regulators. Flow cytometry shows that the CD8 + /CD4 + T cell ratio shifts in response to stress exposure and EE. Stress exposure increases CD8 + /CD4 + ratio, opposite to EE. Depletion and enrichment of CD8 + T cells both accelerate AD, indicating immune intervention's negative impact. Stress management and balanced immunity may aid AD therapy, highlighting novel potential treatment.