Peripheral CXCR3 blockade mitigates T cell infiltration and neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy.

Blocking peripheral CXCR3 reduces T cell infiltration and neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy, with a 50% decrease in T cell accumulation.

• Why it matters: Understanding how T cell recruitment contributes to tau-related neurodegeneration can reveal new therapeutic targets for tauopathies, which currently lack effective disease-modifying treatments.
• What they did: The study used hippocampal injections of interferon-γ and genetic or antibody-based CXCR3 blockade in mice, combined with single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry, to analyze T cell behavior and neurodegeneration.
• The result: CXCR3 blockade significantly decreased T cell infiltration, microglial activation, and neurodegeneration, while improving cognition, suggesting CXCR3 as a promising target for disease modification in tauopathies.