Belgian scientists link amyloid and AD onset

Researchers from the Antwerp, Belgium-based Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology claim to be the first to have shown that the quantity of amyloid protein in brain cells is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid protein has already been known to be the primary component of the senile plaques in the brains of AD patients and the new discovery, demonstrates that the greater the quantity of the protein that is produced, the younger the age of the dementia patient.

Genetic research has previously shown a direct connection between the protein and the development of senile plaques and loss of brain cells. The development of amyloid plaques in the brain tissue of AD patients is a central factor in the search for a therapy for the neurodegenerative condition.