MGH study shows how amyloid plaques may damage brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease

One of the major unanswered questions surrounding Alzheimer’s disease – whether and how the amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients with the neurodegenerative disorder actually damage neurons – may be closer to an answer.  Using an advanced imaging technique that reveals how brain cells are functioning, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) have found that levels of intracellular calcium are significantly elevated in neurons close to plaques in the brains of an Alzheimer’s mouse model.  The study in the July 31 issue of Neuron also shows how this calcium overload can interfere with the transmission of neuronal signals and activate a pathway leading to further cell damage.read more

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