Single-cell atlas of transcriptomic vulnerability across brain disorders.

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of 6.3 million nuclei from 1,494 donors reveals shared and distinct molecular signatures across eight brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.

• Why it matters: Understanding the molecular mechanisms of complex brain diseases is limited, hindering the development of targeted therapies and accurate diagnostics for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions.
• What they did: The study generated a comprehensive single-cell atlas of the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, analyzing gene expression variation and disease-specific cellular changes across multiple disorders and phenotypes.
• The result: Findings highlight common cellular functions affected across diseases, reveal disease-specific cellular alterations such as neuronal loss and immune activation in Alzheimer’s, and identify potential therapeutic targets by mapping disease progression.