Scientists have broken new ground in the search for an Alzheimer’s cure, discovering a new potential cause of the disease, which it may be possible to target with drug treatments.
Experts said the findings, from Duke University in North Carolina, USA, could “open new doors” in the increasingly frustrated global hunt for a dementia therapy.
Researchers at Duke announced that their studies of Alzheimer’s in mice had thrown up a new process they believe contributes to the disease’s development.
They observed that in Alzheimer’s, immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine.
By blocking this process with a drug, they were able to prevent the formation of ‘plaques’ in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, and also halted memory loss in the mice.
READ MORE: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN THE SEARCH FOR DEMENTIA CURE
ULTRASOUND BEAMS COULD HELP COMBAT ALZHEIMER'S, SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
BEING OVERWEIGHT MAY NOT INCREASE DEMENTIA RISK
PROOF THAT DEMENTIA RISK CAN BE REDUCED BY IMPROVING LIFESTYLE
Experts said the findings, from Duke University in North Carolina, USA, could “open new doors” in the increasingly frustrated global hunt for a dementia therapy.
Researchers at Duke announced that their studies of Alzheimer’s in mice had thrown up a new process they believe contributes to the disease’s development.
They observed that in Alzheimer’s, immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine.
By blocking this process with a drug, they were able to prevent the formation of ‘plaques’ in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, and also halted memory loss in the mice.
READ MORE: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN THE SEARCH FOR DEMENTIA CURE
ULTRASOUND BEAMS COULD HELP COMBAT ALZHEIMER'S, SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
BEING OVERWEIGHT MAY NOT INCREASE DEMENTIA RISK
PROOF THAT DEMENTIA RISK CAN BE REDUCED BY IMPROVING LIFESTYLE
