New research on causes of Alzheimer's

[jenniferpa]

And the missing link is prions

http://health.usnews.com/articles/h...5/scientists-spot-new-clue-to-alzheimers.html

http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090225/full/news.2009.121.html

 

[Tender Face]

So, another theory ... and I resist the urge to yawn .... just in case this is the breakthrough .....

How can experiments be done on mice for Alzheimer's? (I am seriously medically naive as longstanding members will know - not getting into testing on animals and stuff!) How could dementia possibly be measured in a mouse?

Sorry, but I was taught the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked!

Any enlightment welcomed, thanks, Karen

 

[Bookworm]

Thanks Jennifer - one sad quote from the Nature article:

"Meanwhile, treatments already on the market target symptoms of the disease, and not it's underlying cause. The treatments we have for Alzheimer's disease today are symptomatic and entirely inadequate," says Aisen. "There's no question that we need treatments that target the mechanisms behind neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease."

 

[jenniferpa]

Karen I "think" that the experiments that were done were to see if they could block the interaction between these things in a petri dish, rather than in actual live mice.

I was listening to a news article about this on NPR (National Public Radio) and they made the point that if this pans out, they already know a great deal about prions so there could be a fairly rapid move (well years rather than scores of years) to a potential treatment based on this since they already have a lot of the information they need.

We will see what we will see.

 

[Grannie G]

Cellular prion proteins are normally harmless and exist in all cells, but they can change shape and cause disease.

This is interesting. Something similar was said about the onset of cancer in the early days.

 

[Skye]

There's no question that we need treatments that target the mechanisms behind neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease."

Absolutely!

I don't think any avenue of research can be written off. It may be another blind alley, on the other hand..........

 

[Sandy]

Mice and Alzheimer's Research

How can experiments be done on mice for Alzheimer's? (I am seriously medically naive as longstanding members will know - not getting into testing on animals and stuff!) How could dementia possibly be measured in a mouse?

There are lots of ways of observing the changes associated with dementia in mice.

Scientists can look at changes in the tissue of the brain.

They can also look at behaviour to do with thinking, learning and memory - some experiments measure performance though a maze:

http://cnr.iop.kcl.ac.uk/default.aspx?pageId=88

The fact that mice can be bred with the genetic characteristics that make them likely to develop AZ make them ideal subjects for experimentation.

Because of the high risks of any treatment for AZ - drugs, vaccines - all treatments will have to be extensively tested in animals before even the smallest-scale human trials can begin.

This story from the BBC News website is a good example of the role of mice in AZ research:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5279432.stm

Take care,

Sandy

 

[Canadian Joanne]

Jennifer, thanks for a really interesting link. I found the link to Nature fascinating.

 

[Tender Face]

Thanks for those links, Sandy ...... (and some of the links from those links were fascinating reading too - especially about simpler diagnostics if nothing else which is close to my heart at the mo!) ...... not that I am ever in danger of fully understanding it all - just glad there are people out there not only genius enough to plan and undertake this research but committed to it as well).

And thanks, Jennifer - this certainly makes me more excited than the 'eat more greens and play Suduko everyday' claptrap we too often get .....

Karen, x