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New Haven, Conn. Alzheimer s disease is known for its slow attack on neurons crucial to memory and cognition. But why are these particular neurons in aging brains so susceptible to the disease s ravages, while others remain resilient?
A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine has found that susceptible neurons in the prefrontal cortex develop a leak in calcium storage with advancing age, they report April 8 in the journal
Alzheimer s & Dementia, The Journal of the Alzheimer s Association. This disruption of calcium storage in turns leads to accumulation of phosphorylated, or modified, tau proteins which cause the neurofibrillary tangles in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer s.