New findings out of Emory University are challenging existing theories about the origins of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia in the elderly worldwide.
Emory Health SciencesAug 12 2024 New findings out of Emory University are challenging existing theories about the origins of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia in the elderly worldwide. A team led by researchers at the Goizueta Brain Health Institute has found strong evidence supporting a new understanding of the mechanism behind Alzheimer's disease.
In the brains of those who suffer from Alzheimer's, amyloids accumulate and build up into sticky plaque that disrupts brain functions and causes cognitive decline. The big unknown has been exactly how that occurs. According to the most widely adopted hypothesis, the amyloid beta buildup disrupts cell-to-cell communication and activates immune cells in a process that eventually destroys brain cells.
Once we identified these new proteins, we wanted to know whether they were merely markers of Alzheimer's or if they could actually alter the disease's deadly pathology. To answer that, we focused on two proteins, midkine and pleiotrophin. Our research showed they accelerated amyloid aggregation both in the test tube and in mice. In other words, these additional proteins may play an important role in the process that leads to brain damage rather than the amyloid itself.
Aging Alzheimer's Disease Brain Cell Dementia Medicine Nerve Neurons Pathology Protein Proteomics Tau Protein
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New findings suggest alternative mechanisms behind Alzheimer's diseaseNew findings out of Emory University are challenging existing theories about the origins of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia in the elderly worldwide. A team led by researchers at the Goizueta Brain Health Institute has found strong evidence supporting a new understanding of the mechanism behind Alzheimer's disease.
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