The current standard view of the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is known as the Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis. The existence of amyloid beta plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients lead to the idea that the plaques may be the cause of the disease. However, the mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s disease, especially the common late onset sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, are not well understood.
A new Brevia published online in SciencExpress titled “Decreased Clearance of CNS beta-Amyloid in Alzheimer’s Disease” (published December 9, 2010) reports on research where they measured the human central nervous system production and clearance of amyloid beta (specifically they measured amyloid beta 40 and 42). The measurements were carried out in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and in cognitively normal individuals so that the results could be compared and contrasted.
They found that the production of amyloid beta 40 and 42 was the same in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and those who were not. In contrast, clearance of amyloid beta 40 and 42 was significantly slower in Alzheimer’s disease patients than in cognitively normal individuals.
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