Researchers Unveil Some New Alzheimer’s Mysteries

A new research revealed some of the complex mechanisms behind the plaques in the brain which are the trademark of Alzheimer’s. The fatal disease of brain accompanied by confusion, memory loss and finally makes oneself unable to care for him.

The researchers studied the brains of mice, having Alzheimer’s like plaques in the brain, with the help of an advanced optical imaging technique. They found that the same proteins (prions) in mice, which are known for playing havoc in the diseases of mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, hit by amyloid beta that made them toxic.

It was observed that a star-shaped type of brain cell (astrocytes), which helped in the normal functioning of the brain, turned to hyperactivity in the presence of amyloid plaques.

Normally, astrocytes are found to propagate around wounded sites, but in Alzheimer’s these brain cells are appeared to distribute this information with other astrocytes located in far off parts of the brain using calcium-signaling network.

This helps to assume that there is something done by amyloid beta that changes brain function. Now the new step which has to be taken is to know how this hyperactivity affects the brain.

This is proved that no drug can cure Alzheimer’s but the new study is significant as it can lead to the development of the drugs to cure Alzheimer’s.