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Updated – 7:45pm
RESEARCHERS AT TRINITY College have shed light on a fundamental cause of Alzheimer’s disease which they say could lead to new form of therapy for those living with the condition.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia globally and affects up to 40,000 people in Ireland today. It is the fourth leading cause of death in individuals over the age of 65 and it is the only cause of death among the top ten that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed down.
The research was published this week in leading international journal Science Advances. It involves a key characteristic of the disease – a build-up of a small protein called ‘amyloid beta’ in the brain of patients.
When the brain is unable to clear this protein, plaques build up and this is a major factor in the process of Alzheimer’s.
It is unclear how this protein is usually cleared but Trinity researchers found it can pass between the cells in blood vessels in the brain.
This could offer a new way of removing this protein from the brains of people who have Alzheimer’s.
“We’re quite excited that this could be a novel approach to treating or thinking about treating Alzheimer’s as an adjunct, as an additive therapy to the current therapies that are being developed,” commented Dr Matthew Campbell.
Working with the Dublin Brain Bank, which is based in Beaumont Hospital, the researchers from Trinity examined brain tissues of individuals who were affected by Alzheimer’s disease during their lifetime and then compared results to those observed in model systems in the laboratory.
The next steps now are to consider how periodic clearance of the protein through blood vessels might be achieved.
First published 10:30am
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These floods have been going on for the last 3 days and the journal are the first to do a story on it, nothing in any of the other news sites
They’re trying to find a way to link it to Putin first.
Sad
You would think that when you can’t see the massive propaganda against Russia at the moment.
Do you actually believe that they are trying to link Rainfall to Putin?
No it was a joke ffs…
Albeit a bad one at that.
Joe, congratulations for being the first to link this to Putin.
Thank you Journal for sharing story on this. I contacted you last night about it so is very appreciated. I hope you keep covering it as situation is very bad and people need help. Badly. We are trying to organise something from Ireland but we have very little knowledge how to do it except privately sending small amounts of money which is not really help in moment as they need water, food, nappies etc for next few nights. Looks like all help or most of it is coming from few countries ( Russia among first) and ex Yugoslavian from other countries. Croatia and Slovenia send help as well even there is big risk in Croatia for same happening to them. Any further media cover keep donation to this people so thank you very much for it.
They need to get going on climate change mitigation soon as the situation is not going to get any better – it is not as if this was not predicted with a warming climate in the region. Big floods in Germany around the Danube last year when I was there too. Warmer air holds more moisture and leads to heavier rain and more storms – one of the basics of climate and meteorology. Every country needs to start mitigation work against the worst effects of climate change, because it is here now and it is not going away.
Geo engineering at its evil best
Proof?
have your say