Are Some Amyloid Plaques Protective in Old Age and Alzheimer ' s Disease?

Researchers here provide evidence to suggest that some of the amyloid-β deposits in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease are in fact beneficial and protective, the efforts of immune cells to remove harmful amyloid-β from contact with cells and deposit it in elsewhere. This may or may not help to explain why amyloid clearance therapies have so far failed to produce benefits in patients: it is always hard to say just how large a contribution any one given mechanism has to disease progression. It seems likely that amyloid-β aggregates are either a moderately but not severely harmful side-effect of the real core disease processes - such as chronic infection and its consequences - or that amyloid-β aggregation is only relevant in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. In the later stages of the condition, a feedback loop of inflammation, cellular senescence, and immune system dysfunction drives the condition. Alzheimer's disease is a neurological condition that results in memory loss, impairment of thinking, and behavioral changes, which worsen as we age. The disease seems to be caused by abnormal proteins aggregating between brain cells to form the hallmark plaques, which interrupt activity that keeps the cells alive. There are numerous forms of plaque, but the two most prevalent are characterized as "diffuse" and "dense-core." Diffuse plaques are loosely organized, amorphous clouds. Dense-core plaques have a compact center surrounded by a halo....
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs