Over the years, an inordinate amount of time and resources have been spent on the search for the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. According to a recent article in Medical News Today (MNT), a new study by researchers in Australia brings us closer to the answer. The study is being called a “breakthrough,” although the authors acknowledge that animal models were used and further studies in humans are necessary.

Various causative factors have been suggested such as family history, age, diet, or environmental factors. Now the study of the blood-brain barrier opens new avenues of discovery. It enhances our understanding of how and why Alzheimer’s occurs. The study suggests possible prevention and treatment

John Mamo, M.D, Ph.D. of Australia’s Curtin University explained that treatment for Alzheimer’s will not be possible without a full understanding of the cause. Dr. Mamo explained to MNT that the new study results show that microscopic blood vessels in the brain (capillaries), if damaged, may seep into the brain. This causes inflammation and the death of brain cells.

The findings were published in PLOS Biology.

Dr. Mamo added that various medications or dietary changes may reduce the toxicity of complexes of fat-protein and slow disease progression.

About Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s affects areas in the brain that involve thought, language, and memory. It is a neurodegenerative disease defined as a disease of the central nervous system resulting in the eventual death of nerve cells.

About the Study

Two animal models were genetically altered and used as a test group resulting in their livers producing human amyloid-beta. The second group was the control group. That group was not genetically modified.

The study was called a ‘blinded study’ because the status of the animal models (modified or control) was not revealed to the researchers until they began their statistical analysis.

The first test involved a memory test that was fear-motivated. Test results of the animal’s cognitive functions were journaled. In addition, the researchers harvested tissue from the animals’ brains, liver, duodenum, and lung. The researchers were able to observe the effect of the tissue samples on the amyloid-beta.

About the Results

The first revelation pertained to the human a-beta that was produced only by the liver of the mice that had been genetically modified. The protein was carried by triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and passed into the brain.

The researchers observed brain atrophy and neurodegeneration as well as dysfunction that led to leakage in the brain with resulting in inflammation in both groups. However, the dysfunction occurred much earlier in the test group. In addition, degeneration of the brain cells occurred mostly in the test group and rarely in the control group.

Notably, neurodegeneration was twice as evident in the modified mice than the control mice. The study results answer many questions about amyloid-beta’s role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

The chairman of the board of Alzheimer’s WA commented that Dr. Mamo and his team have made a significant impact on Alzheimer’s research.