A new study released by the Mayo Clinic suggests that abnormal tau protein collecting in the brain may be the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
Up to this point, most of the Alzheimer’s research has focused on amyloid protein as the culprit in the severe memory loss that is indicative of the disease.
Although studies have shown that amyloid protein does increase in the brain as the disease progresses, it is now believed not to be the major cause of Alzheimer’s memory loss.
The Mayo Clinic research determined that changes in tau protein cause instability in the neurons of the hippocampus, and pathological tau spreads from cell to cell in the brain’s cortex, which is involved in higher levels of thinking, planning, behavior, and attention.
The Mayo Clinic findings suggest tau is the driving force behind Alzheimer’s disease and should be the focus of research efforts to find effective treatments.
Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association (RVNA) clinicians work with Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients as part of the home health care services we offer.
The entire clinical staff of RVNA is receiving extensive training to become board-certified dementia practitioners, through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, in order to provide an even greater level of care to these patients.
For more information, call 203-438-5555 or visit ridgefieldvna.org
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