Latest Biochemistry of Alzheimer's disease Stories
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have identified a substance in the brains of mice that causes memory loss, which could be a target for drugs to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease.Using genetically-engineered mice that developed memory loss similar to people with Alzheimer's, the researchers discovered that it was caused by a protein complex."Finding the specific cause of memory loss and cognitive decline gives scientists a protein complex to target," said Professor Karen Ashe of...
By Anne HardingNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As body fat increases, so do blood levels of a protein fragment linked to Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows, which may begin to explain the recently reported association between obesity and the brain-wasting disease."We found that obesity by itself, even in otherwise healthy middle-aged people, is associated with elevated levels of the amyloid peptide that builds up and causes Alzheimer's," Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Farber...
San Francisco, Calif. (December 1, 2005)-- Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease have identified a potential new way to stop brain cell death related to Alzheimer's disease. Working with cell cultures, the scientists investigated how amyloid beta proteins, which build up in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer's disease, kill neurons. The cell cultures were established from brain tissue of laboratory rats. Study findings showed that amyloid beta could be...
Alzheimer's disease, a complex neurological disorder, has as one of its hallmarks the presence of senile plaques in the brains of affected individuals. These senile plaques are rich in a toxic amyloid peptide termed Aâ. The mechanisms underlying the production of Aâ are complex, but it is known that this peptide is derived from a larger precursor known as the amyloid precursor protein (AâPP). Interestingly, and of potential therapeutic significance, AâPP can be processed within...
In mice, that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reverse the rodents' memory loss by reducing the amount of an enzyme that is crucial for the development of Alzheimer's disease. "What we are showing is a proof of principle that stopping the synthesis of a protein that is necessary for the formation of the telltale plaques reverses the progression of the disease, and more importantly, the cognitive function of these mice, which had...
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tests on mice suggest the brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease may be at least partly reversible, researchers reported Thursday. Their genetically altered mice regained the ability to navigate mazes after the genes that caused their dementia were de-activated. This suggests that the brain damage caused by Alzheimer's is not permanent, they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science. "I was astonished. I...
