uA new step has been taken in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, reported the Stop Alzheimer Foundation on Tuesday. A study carried out in collaboration with the VIB-KU Leuven laboratory made it possible to identify a great diversity among amyloid plaques, these proteins partly responsible for this neurodegenerative disorder. These plates were, until now, considered uniform.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Patients initially have difficulty remembering certain events, but the situation can progress and lead to language problems, disorientation, mood swings and behavioral problems.
Although the link with the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain had already been established, the precise cause of this condition is still unknown. Plaques, made up of clusters of misfolded fragments of the β-amyloid protein, form in neurons. A study carried out by the team of Professor Lucía Chávez Gutiérrez from the VIB-KU Leuven center has made it possible to take an important step in understanding the composition of these plates.
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In collaboration with researchers from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, the team highlighted the heterogeneity of amyloid plaques, until now considered homogeneous. Using a new imaging technique called multimodal mass spectrometry, combined with machine learning, a “surprising level” of diversity was discovered among the plaques.
Thus, a distinction can now be made between harmful and benign plaques. “Moreover, their specific composition appears to differ significantly between patients with advanced AD and those with amyloid deposits but without cognitive decline,” adds one of the study authors, Dr. Thomas Enzlein.
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This discovery marks “a turning point in AD research”, rejoices the Stop Alzheimer Foundation, which financed the research carried out in Belgium.
