Japan-US research team discovers substance seen as 'seed' behind Alzheimer's disease - The Mainichi
Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu.
The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser.
Top
Latest
Japan
Politics
World
Business
Sports
Science
Entertainment
Opinion
Lifestyle
Obituaries
Topics
Photos
Videos
In this image provided by the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, senile plaques, shown as brown-stained areas, are seen in the brain of a mouse injected with Peak 1 A-beta.
The team, including researchers from Japan's National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, focused on the protein amyloid beta, or A-beta. In the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, structures made of A-beta called senile plaques accumulate. These are believed to impair the function of nerve cells, leading to dementia symptoms such as memory problems. It had been confirmed that A-beta begins to accumulate in the brain about 20 years before the onset of the disease, but the substance that triggers this process had not been identified.
In their research, the team genetically modified mice to accumulate A-beta in the brain as they aged and analyzed the components making up senile plaques. As a result, three candidate substances emerged. When the researchers injected each of these substances into the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory, they found that only one of them caused the amount of accumulated A-beta to surge with age.
This substance was also confirmed in the brains of six patients who died of Alzheimer's disease. When the substance taken from human patients was injected into mice, A-beta accumulation similarly began. On the other hand, it was not detected in five people who died of causes other than Alzheimer's disease.
The team identified the substance as playing a seed-like role in accumulating A-beta and named it "Peak 1 A-beta."
Lecanemab and donanemab, drugs recently covered by Japan's public health insurance system, are designed to remove senile plaques that have already accumulated. If a substance that suppresses the action of Peak 1 A-beta can be developed, it may be possible to prevent the formation of senile plaques in the first place.
Tadafumi Hashimoto, director at the National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. (Photo provided by the individual)
Tadafumi Hashimoto, a specialist in neuropathology at the center's National Institute of Neuroscience, commented, "We want to develop methods to detect Peak 1 A-beta through blood tests, diagnostic imaging and other means, and use them for early detection and to shed light on the mechanisms by which the disease develops."
The findings were published July 20 in the British medical journal Brain Communications.
(Japanese original by Yasuyoshi Tanaka, Editorial Division)
Font Size
Go to The Mainichi Home Page
Related Articles
Regulating autophagy restores lost brain function in mice, Japan study finds
Japan researchers identify gene cluster that could help prevent some cases of Alzheimer's
Challenging your brain helps keep it healthy. Here's how to do it
Also in The Mainichi
The Mainichi on social media
RSS
Latest Articles
Baseball: Imai knocked out early as Astros rally to beat Angels
Nikkei ends over 10,000 points below record high on AI concerns
Yoroku: Japan's beach boom fades into the sunset as UV ray and heatstroke fears surge
More Articles
Trending
Go to Page Top