Alzheimer's Disease is one of the illnesses that people worry about most when they reach old age. The disease poses a handful of problems that affect everyday life such as severe memory loss. Recently, researchers have found out that memory loss associated to Alzheimer's could be reversible.
According to the National Institute of Aging, more than 5 million Americans may be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The disease occurs in adults from middle to old age, usually in by the mid 60's, and comes from the progressive degradation of the brain, leaving the person with lapsed memory, impaired thinking skills and the inability to carry out simple tasks.
While Alzheimer's Disease itself is incurable, a team of researchers from University College London (UCL) has discovered that memory loss due to the disease may be prevented and reversed.
As per a report from Psychology Today, memory loss begins when there is a loss of synaptic connection of the neurons in the brain and eventually the destruction of the neurons themselves.
The team from UCL has reported that people with Alzheimer's have increased levels of a protein called Dkk1 or Dickkopf-1, which blocks another protein called Wnt. The Wnt protein is responsible for passing signals between neurons, which makes up for brain function.
In the full report of the UCL researchers, which can be found on Current Biology, they have pointed out via an experiment on mice, that reducing the amount of the Dkk1 protein in the brain could open up the pathway for Wnt signalling between neurons and could possibly reverse memory loss.
Today, Alzheimer's disease remains one of the top causes of death among the elderly, actually ranking third, just behind heart disease and cancer. While the cure for the disease is still not within reach, managing its symptoms will make it easier for those with the disease to carry on with everyday life.
