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geekbot2000 t1_iu7glvn wrote

Reply to comment by PooDendalNerveBlock in What does Alzheimer’s actually do to the brain? by uncmfrtbly_rspnsv

I think the controversy you mentioned has to do with the causative nature of the amyloid plaques. Decades of research/therapeutics targeting the plaques have not produced improved clinical outcomes, the current thinking is that the plaques are a consequence of whatever else is causing alzie.

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uiucengineer t1_iu7ibby wrote

You haven't heard: the study that originally showed the correlation is allegedly a fraud.

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packpride85 t1_iu8dzlq wrote

That’s not the general consensus among researchers as that was a very specific scenario.

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eddiepaperhands t1_iu93kau wrote

There’s also recent research suggesting that the cause is lower levels of soluble amyloid-beta and that the plaques - like Alzheimer’s - are a result of that.

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CrateDane t1_iudcm3b wrote

No, that's not about the overall correlation - it's well established that Alzheimer's is correlated with amyloid plaques. The question is whether the amyloid plaques are causing the Alzheimer's. That likely fraudulent study showed that expressing this particular form of amyloid-beta in mouse brains led to Alzheimer-like symptoms alongside accumulation of a particular fragment. That was proposed to be an early precursor to the more severe plaques seen later on (or postmortem).

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