A US study has shown that the removal of amyloid protein plaques from the brain may be associated with a decrease in the accumulation of tau protein, which is linked to neuronal damage and memory decline in Alzheimer's patients, thereby reinforcing the importance of continuing research into treatments targeting amyloid, particularly in the early stages of the disease.
The website Science Daily, specializing in scientific news, reported on Thursday that researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in the US reached these findings after examining the brain of an individual who had previously participated in a clinical trial of the drug aducanumab, designed to target amyloid plaques.
The examinations revealed differences between brain regions where amyloid plaques had decreased and others where their accumulation continued. Regions with reduced plaques recorded very low levels of accumulated tau protein, while regions where plaques remained contained higher levels of this protein, along with signs of inflammation and brain tissue damage.
Amyloid is a protein whose deposits can accumulate outside nerve cells, while tau protein abnormally aggregates inside them. Both are believed to play a role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease, which affects memory and cognitive abilities.
The individual who underwent the examination was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's in his fifties. He received 30 doses of aducanumab over four and a half years before passing away approximately four years after his last dose. The examination of his brain provided researchers with a rare opportunity to compare different regions and study the relationship between the reduction of amyloid plaques, the accumulation of tau protein, and neurological changes.
Researchers hope that subsequent studies will help determine whether early therapeutic intervention can slow the progression of the disease and preserve cognitive functions for longer, especially before the spread of tau protein accumulations in the brain.
The study results were presented at the 2026 International Alzheimer's Association Conference and published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA.
Alzheimer's is a disease that gradually affects the brain, impacting memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities, and it is the most common cause of dementia among the elderly.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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