Word: amyloid
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...believe these plaques of amyloid beta short circuit nerve cells, not allowing them to communicate," says Selkoe, co-director for the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital...
...know that 100 percent of Alzheimer's patients have the abnormal buildup of...the amyloid beta protein," Selkoe says...
Selkoe says the plaque is formed by the Amyloid beta (A. beta) protein in the brain, but its formation may serve solely as an indicator of the onset of the disease...
Which version of events is correct? Since both plaques and tangles are found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, a number of clinicians suspect that tau and beta-amyloid may each play a role, though not necessarily in every patient. For in contrast to the simplistic thinking that dominated the Alzheimer's field only two decades ago, medical researchers now believe this common form of senile dementia is actually a cluster of diseases that, like diabetes and heart disease, may have more than one fundamental cause...
...world of science, confusion is often a sign of progress, and this may prove to be the case here. "The best," predicts Washington University neuropathologist Dr. Leonard Berg, "is yet to come." Already researchers are rushing to develop compounds that take aim at the tau and beta-amyloid proteins. They are also re-examining existing drugs that may offer therapeutic pportunities. Some experts, for example, speculate that antioxidants such as vitamin E and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen could help shield neurons from chemical damage. Others have seized on tantalizing hints that the female hormone estrogen may delay the onset...