Work

If amyloid drives Alzheimer disease, why have anti-amyloid therapies not yet slowed cognitive decline?

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Strong genetic evidence supports an imbalance between production and clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in people with Alzheimer disease (AD). Microglia that are potentially involved in alternative mechanisms are actually integral to the amyloid cascade. Fluid biomarkers and brain imaging place accumulation of Aβ at the beginning of molecular and clinical changes in the disease. So why have clinical trials of anti-amyloid therapies not provided clear-cut benefits to patients with AD? Can anti-amyloid therapies robustly decrease Aβ in the human brain, and if so, could this lowering be too little, too late? These central questions in research on AD are being urgently addressed.

Source: PLoS Biology

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001694

Authors: Christian Haass, Dennis Selkoe

Institutions: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Alzheimer's disease research and treatments

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,300