Catalan scientists show how Alzheimer's disease spreads from neuron to neuron

Research conducted on genetically modified mice opens a new field of study to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing the spread of the Tau protein. This protein is a cause of disease which accumulates in the entorhinal cortex, moving from one region to another.

CNA / Paulina Ma?yska

March 31, 2012 12:26 AM

Barcelona (ACN).- A study involving Catalan researchers has shown that Alzheimer's disease does not appear in different regions of the brain but spreads from the entorhinal cortex to other areas through the circuitry of the brain. The research team led by Dr. Bradley T. Hyman of Harvard University included Dr. Marc Suarez-Calvet of the Neurology Service of the Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona. The study concluded that a protein called Tau, which is the cause of Alzheimer´s disease, accumulates in the entorhinal cortex, moving from one region to another following the same pattern and causes the disease to progress. The study, published in "Neuron" opens a new field of research to prevent the progression of the disease by removing the spread of this protein.