New brain research offers hope for Alzheimer s disease ANI | Updated: May 13, 2021 12:06 IST
Arizona [US], May 13 (ANI): In a new study, researchers investigated tangles in the brain pathologies not only characteristic of Alzheimer s but other neurodegenerative conditions as well.
The findings of the new study appear in the current issue of the journal Acta Neuropathologica.
The research homes in on a particular protein known as Rbbp7, whose dysregulation appears linked to the eventual formation of tau protein tangles and the rampant cell death associated with Alzheimer s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The first, known as amyloid plaques, are dense accumulations of misfolded amyloid protein, occurring in the spaces between nerve cells. Most efforts to halt the advance of Alzheimer s disease have targeted amyloid protein plaques. To date, all have met dispiriting failure.
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IMAGE: The image shows the development of neurodegenerative pathology resulting from low levels of the protein Rbbp7 (on the left), compared with normal levels associated with a healthy brain (on the. view more
Credit: Shireen Dooling for the Biodesign Institute at ASU
Since the discovery of Alzheimer s disease over a century ago, two hallmarks of the devastating illness have taken center stage.
The first, known as amyloid plaques, are dense accumulations of misfolded amyloid protein, occurring in the spaces between nerve cells. Most efforts to halt the advance of Alzheimer s disease have targeted amyloid protein plaques. To date, all have met dispiriting failure.
Study examines a pathway responsible for the formation of tau tangles in the brain
Since the discovery of Alzheimer s disease over a century ago, two hallmarks of the devastating illness have taken center stage.
The first, known as amyloid plaques, are dense accumulations of misfolded amyloid protein, occurring in the spaces between nerve cells. Most efforts to halt the advance of Alzheimer s disease have targeted amyloid protein plaques. To date, all have met dispiriting failure.
The second classic trait has, until recently, received less scrutiny. It consists of string-like formations within the bodies of neurons, produced by another crucial protein tau. These are known as neurofibrillary tangles.