LINKS between Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain disorders including the human form of 'mad cow disease' will be explored by researchers at an event in Edinburgh next month.
Experts in dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and the prion diseases, which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - the human version of BSE - will share the latest findings over a four-day congress in the capital as part of efforts to unlock potential patterns between the conditions, which are all caused by glitches in protein production.
Professor Jean Mason, the head of neurobiology at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh and a co-director at Edinburgh University's Centre for Dementia Prevention, said that sharing information across the different disease specialisms could throw up clues about how to treat them. All of the diseases are caused when proteins manufactured in the brain "misfold", although the actual proteins involved in each of the diseases are different.
Prof Mason said: "Alzheimer's disease is a disease in which a protein 'misfolds'. Normally these can be eradicated by the cell, so if a protein folds in the wrong way the cell will usually recognise that and get rid of it. But when the cell becomes overwhelmed by things going wrong, that system of clearing the misfolded protein breaks down and you end up with a build up.
"Alzheimer's isn't the only disease in which this happens. Different proteins are involved in Parkinson's, Huntington's and the prion diseases but they are all misfolded protein diseases of the brain. One of the things we're doing is looking at the commonalities between these diseases.
"Up until now people have tended to work in their own areas of disease but there's a lot of information we can gain from research into other diseases. We believe that the prions are actually a good model for Alzheimer's because they are a chronic neurodegenerative process. There is a different protein that is misfolding in these diseases, but it's still a disease of misfolding."
The Prion 2017 event will be held at the assembly Rooms in Edinburgh from May 23-26 and co-chaired by Prof Manson.
It comes as the latest developments in dementia research and prevention are put in the spotlight during a two-day event at the Edinburgh International Science Festival, which ends tomorrow. [sun]
Prof Manson, said glial cells - which support neurons in the brain - were now a major new area of research.
She said: "It's very clear now that glial cells play an important role in how the process leading up to nerve cell degeneration goes ahead.
"So one of the big focuses of research is in trying to understand these cells and what their role is.
"These cells are involved in inflammatory responses and if we can understand these cells then we can alter the way in which they react within the brain.
"The current assumption is that the events leading up to neuro-degeneration are happening certainly within midlife, and if you can alter the effects that are happening there then you might never end up with the dementia."
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