Regulator of Plaque Buildup in Alzheimer’s Disease Found

In a recent study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute identified a critical regulator of a molecule deeply involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The study showed that levels of this regulating protein are decreased in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease sufferers. The regulator, known as Rheb, is a protein believed to be active in relation to neural plasticity — the brain’s ability to change in response to learning. Furthermore, researchers found that Rheb binds and regulates the activity of a molecule known as BACE1, a significant enzyme in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. According to the lead author of the study, because autopsied brains of Alzheimer’s patients have shown a reduction in Rheb, it’s possible that increasing it could reverse the buildup of amyloid plaque. To read more about this study, click here.