New hope for Alzheimer’s cure as scientists track how brain cells die
A major breakthrough in how scientists understand Alzheimer’s has been made - leading to hope for a future “new line of drugs” which could slow the disease.
Scientists have found a way to prevent brain cells from dying and believe it could be the next step in finding a remedy for Alzheimer’s. The research, conducted by scientists at UCL in London and KU Leuven in Belgium has been hailed “important” by Dr Susan Kohlhaas from Alzheimer's Research UK - who said it could “pave the way for new treatments to slow, or even stop disease progression in the future”.
Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in the UK - the decline of brain function, memory and thinking skills. It has a variety of complex causes, including the build-up of proteins called amyloid and tau in the brain - substances which create small structures called plaques and tangles, hindering brain function. There is also a loss of neurons - or brain cells - resulting in a breakdown of neural networks resulting in memory loss.
But scientists have never understood how those two processes are connected and therefore how to prevent neuron loss - until now. The UK’s Dementia Research Institute at UCL believe the buildup of abnormal protein is connected to ‘necroptosis’, a similar type of cellular suicide usually used by our body to get rid of unwanted cells.
The buildup of amyloid plaques between neurons leads to brain inflammation, causing a change to the internal chemistry of neurons. And when tangles of tau form, a molecule called MEG3 is produced by the brain cells resulting in cellular suicide.
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Human brain cells were transplanted by the scientists into genetically modified mice which produced lots of amyloid. By blocking the production of MEG3, scientists were able to prevent cellular suicide. Scientists believe this could be a major breakthrough - but it may be years until any drugs are released.
Prof Bart De Strooper of the research team said the breakthrough shows “how and why neurons die in Alzheimer’s disease” after years of debate in the scientific community. He said it “provides really strong evidence” of a “specific suicide pathway”, and believes it could lead to a “whole new line of drugs development”. But he warned that these drugs would take years of research, the Sun reported.
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "This discovery is important because it points to new mechanisms of cell death in Alzheimer's disease that we didn't previously understand and could pave the way for new treatments to slow, or even stop disease progression in the future."
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s?
According to Alzheimer's Society, they include:
memory problems - often the first noticeable sign, which might affect recollections of recent conversations or events, appointments, as well as familiar journeys and places
problems with thinking and reasoning - this might mean difficulty concentrating, following a conversation and planning, and confusion about what time of day it is
changes in mood - they may become anxious, easily annoyed, frightened or sad, or lose interest in hobbies
changes in perception of distance, which might make parking the car or using the stairs hard, finding certain noises upsetting
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