Researchers in a new study provide evidence for significant levels of cell death to occur in the brain earlier than expected in the development of Alzheimer's disease, during the stage of mild cognitive impairment thought to be driven by the aggregation of amyloid-β.
With the growing aging population, Alzheimer’s disease is among the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. It affects an estimated 5.6 million people age 65 and older in the U.S. alone, a number that could rise as high as 14 million by 2050 without effective treatment and prevention. Image credit: U.S. Army graphic via Health.mil (Public Domain)
The researchers identify some portions of a mechanism by which amyloid-β might be triggering this cell death, and propose a novel class of therapeutic approaches that will interfere in this link.
Given the artificial nature of animal models in Alzheimer's research, and the comparatively sparse nature of human data, it is good to adopt a cautious wait and see approach in response to this sort of news. It is similar in character to numerous other lines of research in the Alzheimer's field that ultimately didn't translate from mice to humans.
Link: http://www.tmd.ac.jp/english/press-release/20200128_1/index.html
Source: Fight Aging!