Headway in Alzheimer's study

Source: Agencies  |   2008-12-26  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A SLOW, chronic reduction of blood sugar to the brain could trigger some forms of Alzheimer's disease, United States researchers said on Wednesday.

The study of human and mice brains suggests a reduction of blood flow deprives energy to the brain, setting off a process that ultimately produces the sticky clumps of protein researchers believe is a cause of the disease, they said.

The finding could lead to strategies such as exercise, reducing cholesterol and managing blood pressure to keep Alzheimer's at bay, Robert Vassar of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago reported.

"This finding is significant because it suggests that improving blood flow to the brain might be an effective therapeutic approach to prevent or treat Alzheimer's," Vassar, who led the study, said.

"If people start early enough, maybe they can dodge the bullet."

Alzheimer's disease is incurable and is the most common form of dementia among older people. It affects the regions of the brain involving thought, memory and language.

"What we are talking about is a slow, insidious process over many years," he said. "It's so mild people don't even notice it, but it has an effect over time."