Alzheimers Research

Research provides more clues about Alzheimer's.
The CNN (12/10, Young) "The Chart" blog reported, "Preliminary research on Alzheimer's disease suggests a protein that accumulates in the brain at very high levels in Alzheimer's patients is not being overproduced; it's just not being cleared efficiently from the brain." The research, "published in Science, measured beta-amyloid levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of twelve 74-year old patients with late-onset Alzheimer's and twelve without. Researchers looked at how fast beta-amyloid was produced and how quickly it cleared the brain." Roderick Corriveau, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said, "Abnormal protein deposits within the brain are a hallmark not only of Alzheimer's disease, but of many neurological disorders." He added, "With knowledge about how these proteins accumulate, we may be able to slow that process and reduce the damage to the brain."