Specialized cells in Alzheimer's could be used for diagnosis, drugs

A group of investigators at Stanford has spotlighted iron-containing microglia--a scavenger cell that can become inflammatory--in postmortem examinations of the brains of Alzheimer's victims. These cells appeared in a section of the hippocampus that plays a role in memory formation. And the scientists say that the microglia one day could be used to diagnose the disease early on, as well as possibly become a target for drug developers. Release