Newswise — By the time people with Alzheimer’s disease start exhibiting difficulty remembering and thinking, the disease has been developing in their brains for two decades or more, and their brain tissue already has sustained damage. As the disease progresses, the damage accumulates, and their symptoms worsen.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that high levels of a normal protein associated with reduced heart disease also protect against Alzheimer’s-like brain damage – at least in mice. The findings, published June 21 in Neuron, suggest that raising levels of the protein — known as low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL receptor) — could potentially be a way to slow or stop cognitive decline.
The discovery of LDL receptor as a potential therapeutic target for dementia is surprising since the protein is much better…
