Unstable Brain Cells and Alzheimer’s Disease
Neurons derived from Alzheimer’s disease patients upregulate immature signaling pathways and destabilize themselves
Plaques & tangles
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that accounts for roughly two-thirds of dementia cases. It is associated with cognitive, memory, and behavioral problems. Telltale molecular signs of the disease are plaques and tangles in the brain.
The amyloid plaques are found in the space between brain cells and the neurofibrillary tangles inside the cells.
How exactly plaques and tangles — both undesirable clumps of protein — relate to the disease is not yet entirely clear. Are they (partial) causes or merely symptoms or side effects? The National Institute of Aging puts it this way:
Scientists don’t yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease in most people. The causes probably include a combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The importance of any one of these factors in increasing or decreasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease may differ from person to person.
When the plaques and tangles present themselves, however, they damage brain cells…
