This is your brain on Alzheimer's

The brains of Alzheimer's patients accumulate beta-amyloid plaque. For a long time, there's been a controversy over whether the plaque is a cause or a side effect. This is tremendously important, because it will direct treatment research for a horrendous disease. Well, now it looks like we may have resolved the chicken and egg problem:

Now, researchers have caused Alzheimer's symptoms in rats by injecting them with one particular form of beta-amyloid. Injections with other forms of beta-amyloid did not cause illness, which may explain why some people have beta-amyloid plaque in their brains but do not show disease symptoms.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2008/06/this-is-your-brain-on-alzheimer-apos-s/3709/