Down syndrome research untangles therapeutic possibilities for Alzheimer's

(University of California - San Diego) More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Of them, 400,000 also have Down syndrome. Both groups have similar looking brains with higher levels of the protein beta amyloid. In fact, patients with Down syndrome develop the abnormal protein at twice the rate. Results of a pilot study confirms the pathogenic role of beta amyloid in dementia as seen in both AD and Down syndrome.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news