AMYLOID BETA PROTEIN MAY HAVE A CAUSAL ROLE IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

Amyloid beta protein is found in the senile plaques and cerebrovascular deposits of patients with Alzheimer's disease, but it has not been clear whether the protein is a cause or a consequence of the disease. A Boston research team now reports that a specific part of this protein -- the 25th to 35th amino acids -- is toxic to mature hippocampal neurons in culture. (The hippocampus, an area central to short-term memory, is one of the parts of the brain most damaged in Alzheimer's disease.)

The researchers also found that this portion of amyloid beta protein is similar in its amino acid sequence to the tachykinin neuropeptide family. When added to the hippocampal cell culture, tachykinin agonists reversed the destructive action of amyloid beta…