Researchers have discovered a new protein responsible for the Alzheimer's disease, which may lead to the development of a cure for the memory loss disease.
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia and reports suggest that an American over the age of 60 years has 44 percent chance of getting the disease. Around 5.4 million Americans and around 35 million people across the globe suffer from Alzheimer's disease. It does not have a cure and the treatment involves temporarily easing symptoms.
The reason how a person is affected with the memory loss disease is still not clear but scientists suggest that two proteins: beta amyloid and tau; found in the brain of affected patients may be responsible for Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists have discovered a new protein called TDP 43, which may be responsible for causing Alzheimer's disease. However, scientists are not sure if TDP 43 is responsible for the disease or if it develops as a result of the disease.
Dr. Keith Josephs, neurology professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, says that brains of people affected with Alzheimer's disease can only be examined through autopsies when the affected people are dead. The researcher observed the brains of 342 people through autopsies who had suffered from the disease and found that TDP 43 was present in the brains of around 200 people.
The autopsies involved people who showed symptoms of Alzheimer's disease when they were alive and also included people who did not show any symptoms at all. The researchers say that they found abnormal TDP 43 levels in those who were affected by the disease when they were alive.
The researchers also say that people with abnormal TDP 43 levels were 10 times more likely to witness memory loss at the time of death.
"Almost 20 percent of those without the abnormal protein were normal when they died," says Josephs. "That surprised me. We were all blown away. Even though you have Alzheimer's disease, the plaques and the tangles, you are still 10 times more likely to be normal if the abnormal form is absent."
The researcher claims that the investigation into TDP 43 is very complex, but the latest study lays a base for any future studies in this field. If researchers are able to find the exact link between TDP 43 and Alzheimer's disease they may soon find a cure for the disease.
