Alzheimer’s breakthrough as experts find clues to how the memory-robbing disease begins and say hallmark mutation may starve the brain of vital energy
- Australian researchers screen zebrafish with genes linked to Alzheimer’s
- They found that the brain cells of fish with the gene had disrupted oxygen production.
- This means the brain had less energy to work with, which affected its performance.
- Researchers believe they have found a driver of the disease in humans
Hopes of stopping Alzheimer’s in its tracks rose today as scientists say they have discovered what may be a memory-robbing disease.
Australian researchers believe their finding – if proven true in human trials – could ‘be of great benefit to our aging population’.
Their study suggests that genes thought to increase the risk of the condition disrupt the way brain cells produce energy and may contribute to brain deterioration.
University of Adelaide Academics investigate how genetic mutations are associated with zebrafish affected by early-onset Alzheimer’s.
The fish’s brain cells with the telltale DNA changes used less oxygen, meaning their brains were unable to produce enough energy to function correctly.
Similar data on rats supported his theory.
Lead researcher Dr Karissa Barthelson said the team is confident they have found ‘a fundamental, early driver of Alzheimer’s in humans’.
“Energy production is the most fundamentally important cellular activity that supports all other functions, especially in highly active organs such as the brain,” she said.
‘If we can understand what’s going wrong with oxygen use and energy production, we can look at ways to prevent disease before it starts.’
Australian researchers have found that what may be a major driving factor in the memory-robbing disease, a gene linked to the condition of Alzheimer’s disrupts how brain cells use oxygen
The scientists used zebrafish for their study because of their ability to produce large numbers of offspring, which makes it easy to detect subtle genetic differences.
He added: ‘This will greatly benefit our aging population.’
Dr. Barthelson and his colleagues published their findings in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms.
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease in which nerve cells die due to a buildup of abnormal proteins.
This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink.
Dr Barthelson also called this disease ‘a severe reduction in energy production in people’s brains’.
The disease, the most common type of dementia, usually occurs in those over the age of 65, but one in 20 cases occurs in young adults.
Dr Barthelson’s team studied zebrafish because they have a very large family, which makes it easy to detect subtle effects.
The experts also examined similar research from a different team on rats and found the same results.
Dr Barthelson said: ‘This reinforces our belief that we have found a fundamental, early driver of Alzheimer’s in humans.
‘It is very satisfying to find this important common, early factor driving the development of Alzheimer’s disease.’
The team of researchers now plans to investigate how genes associated with Alzheimer’s affect the energy production of different types of brain cells.
Around 1 million people in the UK have Alzheimer’s disease, the condition responsible for the majority of dementia cases in the country.
An estimated 5 million people in the US have Alzheimer’s and it is officially the sixth leading cause of death in the country, although recent estimates have suggested it should now rise to the third.
,