A study published in Molecular Psychiatry reveals a path of cause-effect molecular events that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital and collaborating institutions integrated postmortem human brain gene expression analyses with laboratory fruit fly studies. Their goal was to better understand how typical Alzheimer’s brain changes, such as the formation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, can lead to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Their cross-species approach revealed that some paths seem to aggravate the disease while others may protect against it.