A new study has indicated that the potato may hold the key to Alzheimer's treatment.
According to the research, virus that commonly infects potatoes bears a striking resemblance to one of the key proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and researchers have used that to develop antibodies that may slow or prevent the onset of AD.
Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer''s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
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Studies in mice have demonstrated that vaccinations with the amyloid beta protein (believed to be a major AD contributor) to produce A? antibodies can slow disease progression and improve cognitive function, possibly by promoting the destruction of amyloid plaques. Some early human trials have likewise been promising, but had to be halted due to the risk of autoimmune encephalitis.
One way to make Alzheimer's vaccinations safer would be to use a closely related, but not human, protein as the vaccine, much like cowpox virus is used for smallpox immunizations.
![Schizophrenia]( "Schizophrenia")
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by symptoms of thought, behavior and social problems.
In the August 15 Journal of Biological Chemistry, Robert Friedland and colleagues used this concept on an amyloid-like protein found in potato virus (PVY).
In their research, the team injected PVY into mice followed by monthly boosters for four months. The researchers found that the mice produced strong levels of antibodies that could attach to amyloid beta protein both in both solution and in tissue samples of Alzheimer's patients.
And although the levels were lower, mice also developed A? antibodies if given injections of
VY-infected potato leaf as opposed to purified PVY.
The researchers note that potato virus is a fairly common infection that poses no risk to humans (many people have probably eaten PVY infected potatoes).
While tests of PVY antibodies will ultimately determine how useful they can be, they may be a promising lead to treating this debilitating disease.
Source: ANI
RAS/N
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by symptoms of thought, behavior and social problems.
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In the August 15 Journal of Biological Chemistry, Robert Friedland and colleagues used this concept on an amyloid-like protein found in potato virus (PVY).
In their research, the team injected PVY into mice followed by monthly boosters for four months. The researchers found that the mice produced strong levels of antibodies that could attach to amyloid beta protein both in both solution and in tissue samples of Alzheimer's patients.
And although the levels were lower, mice also developed A? antibodies if given injections of
VY-infected potato leaf as opposed to purified PVY.
The researchers note that potato virus is a fairly common infection that poses no risk to humans (many people have probably eaten PVY infected potatoes).
While tests of PVY antibodies will ultimately determine how useful they can be, they may be a promising lead to treating this debilitating disease.
Source: ANI
RAS/N
Early Brain Changes Noticed in Healthy Children of Alzheimer Patients
Healthy children of Alzheimer patients display neurological changes much before clinical symptoms may appear, says Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee.
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 Why Attention Grabbers Stay for Long in Our MemoryA new study funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests that human visual memory is not as sharp as previously believed, but it can be used more flexibly than earlier thought. | Advertisement
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