Brain plaques believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease melt away in mice when robbed of a key enzyme, researchers report.
And the rodents’ intellectual function actually improved as their amyloid plaques dissolved from lack of beta-secretase (BACE1), an enzyme critical in the formation of the plaques, said senior researcher Riqiang Yan.
There’s reason to be hopeful because BACE1 performs much the same function in mice and men, said Dr. Ezriel Kornel, director of The Orthopedic and Spine Institute at Northwell Health’s Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y.
“That enzyme for sure is active. It’s not just in mice. It makes sense it might be applicable to humans as well,” Kornel said. “Because we know what the enzyme does and it is the same, it may well have a similar effect in humans.”
Read the full article here at HealthDay: https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/therapy-reverses-alzheimer-s-brain-plaque-buildup-in-mice-731098.html
