Study Identifies What Causes Alzheimer’s To Progress In The Brain

Before you dive in, it's helpful to know that two proteins are involved in the cognitive decline of Alzheimer's disease: amyloid beta and tau. The structure of these proteins is called aggregates and is responsible for memory loss, personality changes and ultimately the killing of brain cells.

Previously, researchers thought that the disease progressed by spreading from one region of the brain to another, "similar to many cancers," says study author Georg Meisl, Ph.D. said in a press release.

Using brain samples from deceased Alzheimer's patients and PET scans from living patients with different disease courses, the researchers were able to track how tau aggregates actually develop. They discovered that tau aggregates already exist in several regions of the brain at the beginning instead of spreading over time. "Trying to stop the spread between the regions will therefore do little to slow down the disease," explains Meisl.