Alzheimer's: Therapy for fearsome brain disease could target blood
Thursday, December 30, 2010 - 11:20
in Health & Medicine
The aggregated proteins strewn about a deranged brain are the hallmark of one of the most feared and common neurodegenerative disorders on the planet: Alzheimer's disease. But while these irregular, gunky proteins, called amyloid-², are believed to contribute to the deterioration of memory and cognitive ability in Alzheimer's patients, no one knows how they lead to these symptoms. New experiments show how amyloid-² interacts with a clotting agent in the blood, increasing blood clots that are harder than usual to break down and starving neurons of their regular supply of oxygen. The research suggests that the effects of amyloid-² on the blood vessels feeding the brain could be an important aspect of the havoc they wreak on the brain.