New Leads on the 'How' of Alzheimer's
Jean L. Marx · Science · 2001
Although the idea is still controversial, evidence is mounting that triggers for Alzheimer9s disease kill neurons by activating their internal cell-death programs. Working with a variety of experimental systems, including brain samples taken from patients at autopsy, researchers have found several signs that the cellular machinery involved in apoptosis has been activated in Alzheimer9s. Not everyone agrees that nerve cells die this way in Alzheimer9s, but if the findings are confirmed, they could provide new targets for drugs aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer9s, or even preventing it.