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Decay of brain protein can lead to Alzheimer's

Friday 27th April 2012
Source: Thinkstock
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Many people fear the day that they begin to lose their memory and Alzheimer's disease is one condition that doctors have been trying to find treatment for years.

Now a team of scientists at the Gladstone Institutes has found a mechanism which is related to the acceleration of memory loss and can be a contributing factor in people contracting Alzheimer's. They discovered that a protein located in the brain known as Nav1.1 is crucial to passing messages across the mind. However, low levels of this protein can be a disruptive element on the electrical signals passed between brain cells.

During a series of studies on mice, the scientists found that restoring the levels of Nav1.1 to these genetically modified rodents, to bear the resemblance of a person with Alzheimer's, displayed an improvement in learning and memory functions during the creature's lifespan. The Gladstone scientists believe that high levels of Nav1.1 are key to controlling the crucial organisms known as parvalbumin (PV) cells. Without these cells having a high concentration of the protein then they fail to regulate the brain's functions and can potentially lead to memory and ultimately, Alzheimer's.

Laure Verret, PhD, postdoctoral fellow and lead author, said: "PV cells regulate brain rhythms by precisely controlling excitatory brain activity. We found that PV cells in patients with Alzheimer's and in AD-mice have low levels of the protein Nav1.1, likely contributing to PV cell dysfunction. As a consequence, AD-mice had abnormal brain rhythms. By restoring Nav1.1 levels, we were able to re-establish normal brain function."

According the Alzheimer's Society, in the UK, one in 14 people are affected by the condition over the age of 65 with the risk of contracting it significantly increasing once a person passes the age of 80. The organisation also revealed that dementia affects 570,000 across the British Isles and is the more common strain of memory loss but both can prove devastating to those affected.

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written by Mathew HortonADNFCR-1780-ID-801351736-ADNFCR

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