But the University of Kentucky study said there appears to be no harm from mercury fillings. Brain blood flow, Alzheimer linked Rogue bits of a natural protein may promote Alzheimer's disease by disrupting the flow of blood in tiny vessels of the brain, a study suggests. The study provides more evidence vitamin E and other antioxidants may fight the disease, and suggests finding treatments to restore normal blood flow may pay off. Scientists do not know what causes most cases of Alzheimer's. Many point to overproduction of natural protein fragments that form clumps in the brain.
Studies show the fragments can kill brain cells.
Possible Alzheimers Trigger Found Scientists say they have found an enzyme that triggers Alzheimer's disease, a finding that could lead to more targeted treatments for the 4 million Americans suffering from the disease. Understanding how this toxic plaque forms could help scientists create intervening drugs that stop the plaque from building up in the brain. PS-1 may also be involved in regulating the immune system, researchers point out. This was a statistical meta-analysis of 17 studies. The authors note that in addition to the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that are the hallmark of the pathology in AD, there are 40 other proteins that accumulate in the brains of AD patients.