Research Reveals Development Stages of Plaques in Alzheimer's disease

A study in Acta Neuropathologica Communications details research that characterized the development of Aβ fibrils and the evolution of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, reports News-Medical . "Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is crucial to prevent Aβ from causing irreparable damage in the brain," explained Dominik Röhr at Ruhr-Universität Bochum's Center for Protein Diagnostics. Promising drugs are currently undergoing approval testing, including the antibody aducanumab, which can break down plaques in the brain. Via infrared microscopy, the researchers determined that the development of plaques could be halted at an early stage by preventing the formation of oligomers. These are considered to be particularly harmful to the brain, and the applications of suitable drugs could minimize the toxic effect of Aβ.