RxPG News Feed for RxPG News

Medical Research Health Special Topics World
  Home
 
   Health
 Aging
 Asian Health
 Events
 Fitness
 Food & Nutrition
 Happiness
 Men's Health
 Mental Health
 Occupational Health
 Parenting
 Public Health
 Sleep Hygiene
 Women's Health
 
   Healthcare
 Africa
 Australia
 Canada Healthcare
 China Healthcare
 India Healthcare
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 UK
 USA
 World Healthcare
 
   Latest Research
 Aging
  Dementia
   Alzheimer's
  Parkinson's
 Alternative Medicine
 Anaethesia
 Biochemistry
 Biotechnology
 Cancer
 Cardiology
 Clinical Trials
 Cytology
 Dental
 Dermatology
 Embryology
 Endocrinology
 ENT
 Environment
 Epidemiology
 Gastroenterology
 Genetics
 Gynaecology
 Haematology
 Immunology
 Infectious Diseases
 Medicine
 Metabolism
 Microbiology
 Musculoskeletal
 Nephrology
 Neurosciences
 Obstetrics
 Ophthalmology
 Orthopedics
 Paediatrics
 Pathology
 Pharmacology
 Physiology
 Physiotherapy
 Psychiatry
 Radiology
 Rheumatology
 Sports Medicine
 Surgery
 Toxicology
 Urology
 
   Medical News
 Awards & Prizes
 Epidemics
 Launch
 Opinion
 Professionals
 
   Special Topics
 Ethics
 Euthanasia
 Evolution
 Feature
 Odd Medical News
 Climate

Last Updated: Oct 11, 2012 - 10:22:56 PM
Alzheimer's Channel

subscribe to Alzheimer's newsletter
Latest Research : Aging : Dementia : Alzheimer's

   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Possible Alzheimer's link to Choroid Plexus in Brain

Mar 22, 2006 - 8:19:00 AM , Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
The researchers found that the choroid plexus acts as a sort of "fishnet" that captures the protein, called beta-amyloid, and prevents it from building up in the cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds and bathes the brain and spinal cord.

 
[RxPG] Researchers have discovered that an organ in the brain called the choroid plexus apparently plays a critical role in preventing the accumulation of a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers found that the choroid plexus acts as a sort of "fishnet" that captures the protein, called beta-amyloid, and prevents it from building up in the cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds and bathes the brain and spinal cord. Moreover, tissue in the organ is able to soak up large amounts of the protein and may contain enzymes capable of digesting beta-amyloid, said Wei Zheng (pronounced Way Zsheng), an associate professor in the School of Health Sciences at Purdue University.

The findings represent the first time that researchers have identified the potential existence of a natural mechanism in the brain for removing beta-amyloid.

"This newly uncovered pathway may help explain how normal brains balance this protein and how an imbalance caused by aging, genetic or environmental factors may lead to or worsen Alzheimer's disease," Zheng said.

Researchers had already known that the cerebrospinal fluid in the brains of Alzheimer's patients contains abnormally high quantities of beta-amyloid fragments. Beta-amyloid deposits accumulate over a period of years, resulting in abnormal clumps, or plaque, typical of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists do not yet know whether the disease is caused by the plaque formations or beta-amyloids themselves.

The discovery suggests that a malfunctioning choroid plexus could allow too much of the protein to build up in the brain.

Scientists do not know how beta-amyloid is deposited in the brains of Alzheimer's disease victims, but a long-held theory is that the protein is overproduced by aging brain cells, or neurons.

"We are coming from a totally different point of view," Zheng said. "We think that a balance of beta-amyloid is maintained partly by the choroid plexus, which removes beta-amyloid, and that this balance breaks down, leading to a buildup."

The majority of Alzheimer's research has historically concentrated on how the brain produces beta-amyloid protein, but the new findings point to the possibly critical importance of the "garbage-removal" process in the choroid plexus, Zheng said.

"We think the choroid plexus plays a role of removing all the garbage, including the beta-amyloid," Zheng said.

The research focused on how the choroid plexus works to clean beta-amyloid from the cerebrospinal fluid. Studies using rat brains indicated that choroidal cells removed about five times more beta-amyloid from cerebrospinal fluid compared to how much of the protein the cells allowed to pass into the fluid.

"These results appear to tell us that a healthy choroid plexus can remove beta-amyloid from the cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting a novel pathway for the brain to maintain a normal balance," Zheng said. "Of course, much more work needs to be done to verify this theory."

The researchers also found that the choroid plexus possesses an enormous capacity to absorb beta-amyloids. The findings support the theory that the choroid plexus may possess a special enzyme that breaks beta-amyloids into smaller pieces, making it possible to soak up large quantities of the protein.

"The tissue must have a unique mechanism that is different from brain cells, something that enables it to chop up these beta-amyloids," Zheng said.

Future research may focus on efforts to isolate possible enzymes.

Zheng said the findings suggest that aging may degrade the organ's performance, and it is also possible that lead poisoning might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease by damaging the choroid plexus and reducing its ability to filter beta-amyloids.



Publication: Findings are detailed in a research paper written by postdoctoral research associate Janelle S. Crossgrove, postdoctoral fellow G. Jane Li and Zheng, all in the Purdue School of Health Sciences. The researchers will be honored on April 2 with a best paper award from the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.
On the web: www.ebmonline.org 

Advertise in this space for $10 per month. Contact us today.


Related Alzheimer's News


Subscribe to Alzheimer's Newsletter

Enter your email address:


 Additional information about the news article
Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 4 million Americans, and the findings might help researchers develop new methods to treat the disease. The research paper was published last November in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine.
 Feedback
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 
Contact us

RxPG Online

Nerve

 

    Full Text RSS

© All rights reserved by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited (India)