A new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has cited that calcium may hold the key to understanding Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers have shown that mutations in two proteins associated with familial Alzheimer’s disease disrupt the flow of calcium ions within neurons. The two proteins, called PS1 and PS2 (presenilin 1 and 2), interact with a calcium release channel in an intracellular cell compartment.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by the accumulation of tangles and plaques of amyloid beta protein in the brain.
The ‘calcium dysregulation’ hypothesis for inherited, early onset familial Alzheimer’s disease has been suggested by previous research findings, but this current study identifies a molecular mechanism that makes this hypothesis very compelling.
The study appeared in the upcoming issue of Neuron.
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