Researchers try to unknot Alzheimer's protein tangles

Conclusion There's a tendency when scientists announce a breakthrough in our understanding of a disease to immediately start thinking about whether this could lead to a cure. While the ultimate aim of research into Alzheimer's disease is of course to be able to prevent or treat it, early research like this is more about understanding the disease mechanisms. This piece of research demonstrates how a new technique can be used to identify the molecular structure of abnormal protein deposits in the brain. That's a big step forward for use of this technology, which may be useful for other diseases, too. The causes of Alzheimer's disease still aren't well understood. The brain is complex. Tangles of tau protein may be an important part of the development of Alzheimer's disease – but we don't know whether stopping the spread of tau tangles would halt the memory problems and mental decline characteristic of the disease. While we can celebrate this advance as a scientific breakthrough in our understanding of Alzheimer's disease, we need to be patient about the chances of a cure. Until then, while there's no guaranteed way of preventing Alzheimer's, the following may help lower your risk of developing the condition: stopping smoking not drinking large amounts of alcohol eating a healthy, balanced diet, including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day exercising for at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) every week staying mentally active Read more abou...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news