Clearing Traffic in Brain Pathways Shows Promise for Alzheimer’s Treatment

A team of researchers at the University of Buffalo has unearthed the role that a particular protein plays in controlling neuronal traffic in the brain. Following a study, researchers believe that adjusting levels of the protein presenilin could clear up traffic in brain pathways and prevent blockages in patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our major discovery is that presenilin has a novel role, which is to control the movement of motor proteins along neuronal highways,” said the study’s chief investigator. “In Alzheimer’s disease, transport defects occur well before symptoms, such as cell death and amyloid plaques, are seen in post-mortem brains,” she added. “As a result, developing therapeutics targeted to defects in neuronal transport would be a useful way to attack the problem early.” For the full article, click here.