The discovery of a new synapse protein may help diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier and more effectively and lead to better treatments to prevent memory loss. Alzheimer’s, which causes the links between brain cells to break, may finally be a thing of the past thanks to this discovery.
Alzheimer’s Makes Synapses Vanish In Its Initial Stages
Syapses are necessary for all brain functions, since it connects neurons in the brain, and one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s is the steady loss of these structures. This usually happens when people have only mild cognitive impairment.
This new discovery told the researchers, led by Dr. Vladimir Sytnyk, to find a new molecular mechanism that can prevent this synapse loss, which can help better diagnose Alzheimer’s and develop better treatments for it.
This new discovery, which centers around the protein NCAM2, is a neural cell adhesion molecule. This protein helps the formation of synapses and eases the connections in the brain. This protein has been found in low levels in the hippocampus, which leads the team to believe that the protein decreases in number as Alzheimer’s sets in. This is because of the toxic effects of beta-amyloid.
Further Study Can Allow For Prevention of NCAM2 Decline in the Brain
This discovery can better guide researchers to prevent the decline of NCAM2 in the brain, and it could one day lead to the cure of Alzheimer’s. The complete research, published in Nature Communications, could lead to many breakthroughs concerning diseases that deal with memory loss, Alzheimer’s Disease being number one on the list.
