https://www.yahoo.com/news/alzheimer-apos-science-shocked-discovery-182603511.html
Alzheimer’s
disease may spread though the brain like an infection, a new study has
found. Most scientists agree that tau proteins are one of the main
causes of Alzheimer's and now, for first time, researchers observed the
protein in real-time as it spread throughout neurons in the brain. The
finding may fundamentally change how we think about Alzheimer’s disease,
and in turn affect how we treat the disorder as well.
The findings published online in the journal, Brain appear to support the theory of transneuronal spread, IFL Science reported. Tau proteins normally aid in brain function, but can become defective
or collapse and then form tangles, which may lead to the onset of
Alzheimer's. The transneuronal spread theory suggests that the proteins
spread just like an infection and areas with the largest build-up of
proteins will then pass these on to the surrounding connections. While
this idea has been shown in mice, this is the first time researchers
have seen it happening in human brains.
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"This
is an important step on the journey towards effective treatments for
Alzheimer's disease," lead author, Dr. Thomas Cope from the Department
of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, told Newsweek. "It implies that treatments to prevent the spread of abnormal tau between neurons might be effective in humans."
Most
of what we know about Alzheimer's is derived from looking at the brains
of dead patients, but in this new study, the research took a novel
approach by peering into the brains of still-living patients using a
technique called positron emission tomography.
This involves injecting the patients with a radioactive substance that
specifically binds to tau proteins and then using a scanner to see these
proteins' movements. The researchers monitored the brains of 17
Alzheimer's patients and results gave them a rudimentary idea of how tau
proteins moved and behaved.
Understanding
how Alzheimer's develops is critical to treating it. If doctors know
how the disease spreads throughout the brain then they may be able to
develop ways to slow down this spread or even stop it completely.
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For
now, more research is needed before this finding can have clinical
applications and potentially help treat an illness that affects 5.5
million Americans and counting.
"The
ultimate goal of us all is to prevent this devastating illness from
causing the widespread brain damage that leads to dementia and loss of
independence," added Cope.
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