Fatal Chain Reaction in Alzheimer's Disease Starts Much Earlier Than Commonly Assumed

A mouse study in Nature Neuroscience found that the fatal chain reaction that triggers Alzheimer's disease commences much earlier than commonly assumed, reports News-Medical . This also occurs in humans, and the researchers have singled out an antibody that might prevent the chain reaction. They sifted through already known antibodies that target misfolded beta-amyloid proteins, looking for antibodies that can identify and possibly eliminate these early, overlooked seeds of beta-amyloid aggregation. The only effective antibody was aducanumab, and transgenic mice that were treated for just five days before the first protein deposits cropped up later exhibited half the typical amount of deposits in their brains. Aducanumab can recognize protein aggregates, but not individual beta-amyloid chains. The investigators hope to use it as a lure to isolate and better describe these seeds of aggregation.