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Poster: Alzheimer's Research, Prevention &
Treatment |
Researchers at the Hebrew
university of Jerusalem, Israel, have focused on a destructive,
inflammation-causing protein in the brain, as well as neurological conditions
resulting from infections, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, or
brain inflammation resulting from trauma or stroke.
Their work has been detailed in an issue of the American journal, Annals of
Neurology and will leading to the development of more efficient drugs than are
currently available.
The medicines administered today
to Alzheimer's Disease patients focus on preventing the breakdown of
acetylcholine, a chemical produced by brain cells which transmits information
within the brain and is vitally involved in cognitive processes that include
memory, attention and thought. In recent years it has been shown that another
pathological process that occurs in the brain of Alzheimer's Disease patients
is excessive immune activation and inflammation, which are induced by
overproduction of an inflammation-producing protein called interleukin-1, as
well as a few other related compounds.
Israeli
research is leading the way to create anti-Alzheimer's Disease drugs by
blocking the enzyme's harmful activity. (Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign
Affairs) |
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