Hyperphosphorylation of tau protein produces aggregation and neurofibrillary tangles in later stage Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers here use a peptide to inhibit one of the mechanisms by which increased phosphorylation occurs in neurons in older individuals. The approach produces promising results in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, but – as is usually the case – one has to wonder as to whether or not this interaction of model and treatment in mice is relevant to the human condition. Old mice do not naturally develop any pathology resembling Alzheimer’s disease, so all of the models are by their nature very artificial, …
Targeting a Mechanism of Hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Hyperphosphorylation of tau protein produces aggregation and neurofibrillary tangles in later stage Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers here use a peptide to inhibit one of the mechanisms by which increased phosphorylation occurs in neurons in older individuals. The approach produces promising results in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, but – as is usually the case – one has to wonder as to whether or not this interaction of model and treatment in mice is relevant to the human condition. Old mice do not naturally develop any pathology resembling Alzheimer’s disease, so all of the models are by their nature very artificial, …