2025 Summer Research Symposium • Mark Sanchez • July 9, 2025

Mark Sanchez

he/him

Class of 2026

Major: Psychology

Mentor: Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, UT Health San Antonio

The Cellular Landscape of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of Repair,

Response, and Resilience

Neurodegeneration, like that seen in Alzheimer’s disease, is generally characterized by the

progressive loss of cognitive function with widespread cellular dysfunction. Hallmark features of

Alzheimer’s disease include the accumulation of amyloid -beta, tau pathology, DNA damage, and

disruptions in glial cell function. Despite this knowledge, the mechanisms by which specific

brain cell types contribute to or resist neurodegeneration remain unclear.

This review synthesizes findings from over twenty recent studies to explore how astrocytes and

neurons respond to injury and chronic pathology, with special attention given to astrocytic

vulnerability, DNA repair regulation, and the intersection between tau accumulation and

chromatin structure. We organize our content around three central themes: cell type/location,

cell-specific response dynamics, and cellular resiliency. In doing so, we examine how DNA

repair pathways, oxidative stress defenses, and protein aggregation intersect to shape disease

outcomes. Across each of these themes, we highlight discrepancies in results, identify gaps

within the literature, and offer potential avenues for clarification of causal mechanisms and

therapeutic targets. By framing the progression of neurodegenerative mechanisms through a

cellular lens, we propose insights into new foundations for models of brain resilience and cellspecific

therapeutics.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s Disease, DNA Damage, Tau Pathology, Cell-Type Vulnerability