Gene patterns may explain brain's Alzheimer's vulnerability

Conclusion This type of exploratory science is needed to fully understand complex diseases such as Alzheimer's, which so far have not responded well to treatment. The more we know about how a disease begins and develops, the better chance scientists have of finding ways to treat or prevent it. This research explores one possible contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease. It doesn't provide an early way of telling who will get it – the theory is that everyone has similar regions in their brains that are more vulnerable to protein overgrowth than other regions. And this is not an easy option for a treatment because we don't yet know how to manipulate gene expression in a way that might prevent protein build-up in vulnerable regions. In fact, we don't even know whether protein plaques and tangles actually cause Alzheimer's disease, or whether they are just a sign of the disease. Scientists have been looking for a cure for Alzheimer's disease for a long time. There are many avenues of research being explored throughout the world. The fact it has taken so long to find an effective treatment is a sign of how complicated Alzheimer's is. This research goes some way towards explaining the complex conditions that underlie our vulnerability to brain degeneration and Alzheimer's disease in later life.  Links To The Headlines New research hints at pattern of Alzheimer's spread in the brain. The Guardian, August 10 2016 Are we another step closer to preventing Alzheimer's? Sc...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news