Scientists claim major discovery of mechanics of Alzheimer’s progression in brain

Scientists this week revealed research of a major discovery of how Alzheimer’s progresses in the human brain, suggesting a possible new approach to regulating and treating the disease.

The research, published in the journal Science Advances, noted that “the replication of protein aggregates and their spreading throughout the brain are implicated in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” but that “the rates of these processes are unknown and the identity of the rate-determining process in humans has therefore remained elusive.”

The international team of researchers said they determined that “local replication, rather than spreading between brain regions, is the main process controlling the overall rate of accumulation” in Alzheimer’s patients.

“Thus, limiting local replication likely constitutes the most promising strategy to control tau accumulation during AD,” they noted.