Instead of analyzing the changes caused by the Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at Harvard University in the United States wondered why this disease affects the elderly. And they found the answer, published by the journal Nature : protein REST (RE1-Silencing Transcription factor), supposed to protect neurons from external aggressions, is absent in these patients. It is present during the development of the fetal brain but does not activate until later, in order to protect the brain. Indeed, researchers have observed very low levels of the protein in 20-35 year olds, but much higher in healthy people aged 73 and over.
A flaw in the defense system
In patients withAlzheimer’s, the level drops in the areas of the brain of the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, responsible for learning, memory and organization. “Our work highlights the possibility that the presence of abnormal sets of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases is not sufficient to cause dementia; it would also require loopholes in the brain’s defense system” , explains Bruce Yankner, professor of genetics and lead author of the study, cited by the Huffington Post.
Restoring sufficient levels of REST proteins may help older people resist Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, the researchers say. The hope for the development of a new molecule capable of treating the disease is also emerging thanks to this discovery.