Are Chimps the Answer to Alzheimer's?

One of the most tragic diseases we as human have to deal with is Alzheimer's. Strangely enough, though we share most of our DNA with them, chimpanzees do not. The reason why may have just been discovered by scientists, and may be a major breakthrough in the quest to find a cure for the debilitating and heartbreaking disease.

Both human and primate brains get clogged with plaque during the course of a lifetime. The plaque is caused by proteins, and has long been suspected to be the cause of Alzheimer's in humans. What proved perplexing to scientists, however, was that the same plaque was visible in primate brains, but that they do not suffer from Alzheimer's.

A major difference between the two cases may have been found due to the so-called "tag" molecule just discovered by researchers, and published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. The "tag" molecule was being used to track the plaque buildup in the brains of both humans and primates, but was found to only latch easily onto the human brain's plaque. This suggests a fundamental difference in the makeup of the plaques in primate and human brains. Finding this difference could lead to improved treatment of Alzheimer's, and possibly a cure.

The plaque in question is formed by so-called amyloid proteins. Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates, originally thought to be harmless starch when detected (hence the name "amyloid," meaning "starch-like" in Latin). They come from the cells in bone marrow that make antibodies or proteins that help combat disease and infection. In the case of amyloidosis, the bone marrow makes faulty antibodies which build up in the bloodstream and tissues of the body. Any organ then effected would begin to malfunction. Fortunately, the disease is rare, since the variance of the symptoms (depending on which organ is effected) make it difficult to diagnose.

These amyloids have also been linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans. This new research is the latest in a string of studies done in order to look at these amyloids more closely. Study author Rebecca Rosen, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, at Emory University in Atlanta, wanted to get a closer look at the amyloid proteins in human and primate brains. Since the amino acid sequence forming these amyloid proteins were known to be different in humans and primates, she and her colleagues wanted to see if the overall structure of the proteins was different.

What was found is an answer to the question of why these high-level primates don't get Alzheimer's, and is possibly another step in the quest to treat, cure, and prevent humans from suffering from the disease.

"Why Chimps, Monkeys Don't Get Alzheimer's"

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=626743

www.healthday.com

"Amyloidosis: Signs and Symptoms"

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/blood/amyl/conditions/amyloid/signs.html

www.ucsfhealth.org