Off-the-Shelf Drug Rapidly Clears Alzheimer’s Protein in Mice

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Off-the -shelf Drug Rapidly clears Alzheimer's protein in mice
SCT

2/11/2012 8:45:15 AM

 The evidence and arguement that b-amyloid is the root cause that riggers the aggregation of tau leading to AD is not convincing.Most scientists accepted this position citing paper published by JosephPrice et al.The authors presented two key points : 1.The authors found that there were tau tangles in hippocampus of healthy aging people,but with the dementing rating getting worse,there were increased tau tangles and also b-amyloid in this area.They therefore concluded that b-amyloid triggers the increase of tau leading to dementia.The data showed a correlation between increased tau tangle and b-amyloid ,but causative relation cannot be concluded from correlation.It is equally plausible that as the tau tangles increases,the dementia became clinically observable.At the same time this increased level of tau tangles also triggers the formation of b-amyloid because the lysosomal resource is limited. If b-amyloids cause the formation of tau tangles then the genetically modified b-amyloid mouse would have developed tau tangles in these area which has not been observed.There was also pathologically no difference between the tangles of healthy and demented candidates.To argue that the first was naturally cummulated and the second was triggered by b-amyloid is not convincing. 2. The authors cited familial AD as evidence that b-amyloid has a critical role and use this to support the first arguement.It is a known fact that mutated b-amyloid genes (APP & presenilin)lead to AD ,but the causative link between the mutated gene with excessive b-amyloid which in turns leads to AD has never been proven.If at all, the evidence concluded otherwise.Scientists had found that the mutated presenilin gene did not produce more b-amyloid as previously thought but instead the gene impaired the lysosome which is the garbage clearing systems that clears both b-amyloid and tau tangles resulting in net increase in both.If tau aggregation is the driver ,then it is tau that is responsible for the familial AD. b-amyloid is either irrelevent or just an accomplice in taking away some lysosomal resources.