Study Offers Hope for Alzheimer’s Recovery
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A study in mice suggests some memory recovery may be possible in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
The research, published in the current issue of the journal Science, shows a mutant protein named tau is poisoning brain cells, and blocking its production may allow some of those affected neurons to recover.
It worked in demented mice who, to the scientists’ surprise, fairly rapidly regained their memory.
“What we’re showing is that there are neurons which are affected [by Alzheimer’s] but not dead,” said lead researcher Karen Ashe, a University of Minnesota neurologist.
