By Murray Sherriffs
A study out this morning says that a small shift in a brain molecule might explain how Alzheimer’s turns from an abnormal nerve connection into a condition affecting memory.
The abnormal protein clumps—amyloid plaques and tau tangles—are the key drivers aof Alzheimer’s.
The clumps are a hallmark of a wider breakdown, where nerve cells become overactive and lose connections that result in supporting cells turning reactive.
The study from the Institute of Basic Science in South Korea, says that a receptor protein molecule—ERBB4—might be the missing link.
Researchers have long suspected that the normal clean-up functions of astrocytes and microglia are compromised in Alzheimer.