New study makes Alzheimer's discovery

New research has found a molecular pathway that drive the changes seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

A team led by researchers at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry revealed new targets for drug discovery that could be exploited to combat the neurodegenerative condition.

Dr Richard Killick from the Institute of Psychiatry stated the study is the first time the molecular mechanisms behind the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain have been connected with the formation of tangles inside the brain cells.

He said: "Our research has given the most detailed picture yet of how the disease progresses and we hope it will offer leads for the development of new treatments."

Professor Simon Lovestone, also from the Institute of Psychiatry, who led the study, explained the research could point the way to how Alzheimer's disease can be halted.

French researchers from the Inserm-Institut Pasteur Lille-Universite Lille Nord de France recently found mutations of the TREM2 gene are associated with a five times greater risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

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