Alzheimer's breakthrough: key questions answered

Everything you need to know about new research that could lead to future treatments for neurodegenerative diseasesSeveral media outlets have hailed a development in brain research that might lead to future treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.It is a bold claim, particularly because the research is at a very early stage in mice. Should we get excited?Professor Roger Morris, an expert on prion diseases at King's College London said: "This finding, I suspect, will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent Alzheimer's disease."What happens in a neurodegenerative disease?Conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and those caused by a type of protein called prion (such as CJD and Huntingdon's disease) are all characterised by the death of brain cells and loss of function.In all these disorders, brain cells die because mis-shapen, mis-folded proteins build up in the brain. The brain normally deals with this build-up by switching on a defence mechanisms called unfolded protein response (UPR), which prevents new proteins being made and slows down the build-up of badly-shaped ones. In people with neurodegenerative diseases, however, UPR can remain switched on for too long - while this means no more mis-folded proteins, it also prevents the formation of proteins that the brain cells need for healthy function. This can lead to the death of those cells and, over time and if the cells are n...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 10, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Alok Jha Tags: theguardian.com Health Medical research Society Alzheimer's Editorial Science Source Type: news