Chronic Diseases

Short Takes: Alzheimer's, PMS, Chronic Diseases

Does Alzheimer’s Disease start in the liver?

According to ScienceDaily, a recent study in The Journal of Neuroscience Research suggests the liver might be the source of beta amyloid found in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Unexpected results from a Scripps Research Institute and ModGene, LLC study could completely alter scientists' ideas about Alzheimer's disease -- pointing to the liver instead of the brain as the source of the "amyloid" that deposits as brain plaques associated with this devastating condition.

This unexpected finding holds promise for the development of new therapies to fight Alzheimer's."

(Maybe it also point the way to understading the cause. Is AD a dietary disease?)

Using a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease the investigators found “significant concentrations of beta amyloid might originate in the liver, circulate in the blood, and enter the brain. If true, blocking production of beta amyloid in the liver should protect the brain.”

Source
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303134435.htm