Xiangyou Hu, PhD

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of age-related dementia, is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that leads to progressive memory loss, cognitive impairment, and ultimately death. The β-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a major drug target for AD treatment because BACE1-mediated cleavage of APP is the first step in the generation of pathogenic amyloid-β peptides. My lab focuses on investigation of BACE1 biological functions and the roles of BACE1 in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease using both conditional and constitutional BACE1 knockout mice. Considering the fact of epileptiform activity and sleep disorders occurs more frequently in AD patients, our one project is examining whether BACE1 inhibition impacts seizure activity and sleep disorders in AD mice and further characterize the correlation of plaque loading with epileptiform spikes, NREM and REM sleep times in AD mice models. Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is another most common symptoms in AD. However, the pathophysiological link between AD and LUTD is not well defined. We have another project focusing on investigation of bladder pathology, nerve innervation, neurotransmitters and the receptors distribution, and muscle-specific responses in AD bladders.

BACE1 Expression Is Required for Proper Synaptic Vesicle Dynamics in the Hippocampus. Journal of neurochemistry 2025 Nov; 169(11): e70299 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mutation reduces endothelial TDP-43 and causes blood-brain barrier defects. Science advances 2025 Apr; 11(16): eads0505 Contribution of amyloid deposition from oligodendrocytes in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Molecular neurodegeneration 2024 Nov; 19(1): 83 IRAK4 is an immunological checkpoint in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus. Scientific reports 2024 Jul; 14(1): 16393 Dysfunctional Bladder Morphology and Functional Impairments Are Identified in the Alzheimer's Disease APPNL-G-F/NL-G-F Murine Model. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD. 2023 Dec; Bace1 Deletion i