The images collected make it possible to identify the brain regions where the plaques form. Researchers hope to be able to develop targeted therapies.
Amyloid plaques are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Composed of beta-amyloid proteins, they accumulate between neurons. Since their identification, the scientific community has sought to understand which areas of the brain are first affected, in order to be able to offer a targeted treatment and prevent the onset of the disease. Researchers from the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT contribute to advancing research: they filmed the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain of mice.
A disease that progresses slowly
The researchers studied the brains of one-month-old mice genetically modified to have Alzheimer’s. They found that the formation of amyloid plaques starts in deep brain areas like the mammillary body, lateral septum and anterior subtilum. As the disease progresses, new areas are affected, up to the hippocampus and cortex. These two brain areas are associated with memory for the first and with cognitive functions for the second.
The denser the plaques, the more advanced the stage
A second conclusion emerged to the researchers: there is a strong correlation between the level of accumulation of amyloid plaques in a given area of the brain and the progression of the disease. In other words, the further the disease has progressed, the denser these plaques are. “This study paves the way for further investigations to understand how dysfunctions in these brain regions and circuits contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms,” concludes Wenchin Brian Huang, co-author of the study. Eventually, they hope to be able to treat the disease in the early stages. According to France Alzheimer, 225,000 new cases are detected each year in France. By 2020, the number of patients should exceed 1.2 million.
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