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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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'Rogue' Protein Spread Key to Alzheimer's

Discovery casts light on tangles found in brains of disease sufferers

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(Newser) – A protein linked to Alzheimer’s can run amok in the brain, affecting healthy tissue, scientists have found. All nerve cells contain the tau protein, but a “rogue form” can lead to protein clumps in cells, called neurofibrillary tangles, that are believed to play a major role in Alzheimer’s disease, the BBC reports. The protein can spread, but that doesn’t mean the disease is contagious.

“This greater understanding of how tangles spread in Alzheimer's may lead to new ways of stopping them and defeating the disease,” said an expert.

The Tau protein is found in all nerve cells.
The Tau protein is found in all nerve cells.   (Shutterstock)
The protein can spread in the brain, researchers have found.
The protein can spread in the brain, researchers have found.   (Shutterstock)
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6 comments
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mindgammon
Jun 8, 09 9:06 AM CDT
I forgot what I was going 2 say Reply
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SPH
Jun 8, 09 3:17 PM CDT
A rogue type protein is also thought to be responsible for Mad Cow...I wonder if there is a connection.... Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Reader64481089
Jun 8, 09 5:01 PM CDT
I thought I knew the answer until the protein made me forget the question. On a serious note it would be a miracle if indeed they rooted out the cause of such illnesses and discovered a cure, to improve the final days of peoples life would be a wonderful gift for all concerned.
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SBS
Jun 8, 09 5:02 PM CDT
The advances made by science are amazing. Hopefully they will be able to do something to prevent and/or cure this horrible disease. Reply
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TerrifiedCitizen
Jun 8, 09 10:00 PM CDT
I'm in the early stages myself, and besides the problems, there are quite a few upsides to it. My accountant told me that I paid most of my income to the government last year and I feel like such a great citizen, however, I seem to have misplaced what it was I got in return. Reply
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