In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, it affects several parts of the human brain at the same time, and this leads to a relatively rapid progression of dementia. Such a conclusion was made by an international group of researchers led by experts from the University of Cambridge.
According to an article in the Science Advances magazine, these researchers analyzed postmortem brain samples from Alzheimer's patients, as well as PET scans of the patients who were still alive.
In Alzheimer's, tau and beta-amyloid proteins form aggregates that cause brain cell death; this leads to memory loss, personality changes, and difficulty in daily activities.
As it turned out, the main mechanism that controls the rate of Alzheimer's progression is the emergence of aggregates in certain parts of the brain—and not the spread of aggregates from one area to another.
According to researchers, the results of this study can be useful for the development of treatments for Alzheimer's disease which affects about 44 million people worldwide.
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