People as young as 20 have amyloid buildup, but researchers aren't sure what it means
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Brain plaque buildup, long linked to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, has been identified in the brains of men and women as young as 20, researchers say.
"One thing this means is that the resource, the machinery, for making the clumps of plaque we see among Alzheimer's patients is already available in young individuals," said study co-author Changiz Geula, a research professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
"The implication appears to be that if we want to prevent these clumps from forming when a person becomes old, we may need to intervene much earlier than we have thought, to try and get rid of amyloid very early in life," Geula said.
Geula and his colleagues analyzed brain tissue of 48 deceased people ranging in age from 20 to 99.
At issue is an abnormal protein, or "amyloid," known to accumulate and surround specialized brain cells called neurons in seniors and those suffering from Alzheimer's. Amyloid buildup is known as plaque.
"Amyloid is bad," said Geula. "We don't know the exact mechanism by which it causes damage, or if amyloid buildup is the main trigger for Alzheimer's, so we can't say that it actually causes the disease. But for a long time we have known that it causes toxic damage, and it cannot be good for you when it accumulates."
What is new here, and "very surprising, is that we found an accumulation of this amyloid actually inside the nerve cells of individuals as young as 20," Geula added.
The findings appear in the March 2 issue of Brain.
Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder, is the most common form of dementia among older people. It's estimated that 5 million Americans have the disease, and that number is growing.
The study team analyzed the brains of 13 people aged 20 to 66 with no mental health issues; 14 dementia-free people between 70 and 99; and 21 Alzheimer's patients between 60 and 95.
Particular attention was paid to a certain type of neuron -- the "basal forebrain cholinergic neuron" -- that researchers say is especially vulnerable to cell death among Alzheimer's patients. Such neurons are key to memory and attention.
source : Brain Protein Tied to Alzheimer's Spotted in Young Adults
