Research has shown that boosting levels of the Sox9 protein in the brain may help astrocytes, the brain's support cells, more efficiently remove toxic amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. In mouse models of memory impairment, Sox9 activation improved cognitive abilities and reduced the amount of these plaques in the brain. Increasing Sox9 promoted astrocyte activity, which slowed the cognitive decline typical of neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely, decreasing Sox9 led to faster plaque accumulation and impaired astrocyte function. Thus, Sox9 represents a natural mechanism that could be exploited to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The results of a study published in Nature Neuroscience suggest that strengthening astrocytes may be as important as targeting neurons in treating the disease[1]. Other studies have also confirmed increased Sox9 expression in Alzheimer's patients, with this expression correlating with disease progression and the presence of the APOE4 risk allele[2].