Page 28 - aruba-today-20190502

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 2 May 2019
It seems like Alzheimer's but peek into brain shows a mimic

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some several brain changes that
people told they have Al- combine to cause trouble,
zheimer's may instead have Dr. Walter Koroshetz, head
a newly identified mimic of of NIH's National Institute of
the disease — and scien- Neurological Disorders and
tists say even though nei- Stroke, told a recent meet-
ther is yet curable, it's criti- ing about non-Alzheimer's
cal to get better at telling dementias.
different kinds of dementia Tuesday's paper about TDP-
apart. 43-caused disease adds
Too often, the word demen- to the complexity, said Al-
tia is used interchangeably zheimer's Association chief
with Alzheimer's when there science officer Maria Car-
are multiple types of brain rillo, who wasn't involved
degeneration that can with the new research.
harm people's memory "We must learn more about
and thinking skills. each contributing cause of
"Not everything that looks dementia so we can under-
like Alzheimer's disease is stand how these changes
Alzheimer's disease," said begin and interact and co-
Dr. Julie Schneider, a neu- occur, and how to best di-
ropathologist at Rush Uni- agnose, treat and prevent
versity Medical Center in them," she said.
Chicago. And among all In this April 29, 2019 photo provided by the University of Kentucky, Dr. Peter T. Nelson inspects a WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO
the known dementias, this section of brain in the neuropathology lab at the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging in Lexington, Ky. TELL ONE DEMENTIA FROM
newly identified kind "is the Associated Press ANOTHER?
most striking mimic of Al- Current treatments for Al-
zheimer's," she added. tangles of another protein Nelson said about a quar- Nina Silverberg. That's key zheimer's and other de-
It's not clear how many named tau. Only recently ter of people over age 85 to eventually developing mentias temporarily ease
people have this particu- have scientists developed have enough abnormal treatments. symptoms. But there are
lar type, which an interna- special, pricey scans that TDP-43 to affect their mem- OTHER CULPRITS ALSO ARE other reasons for a precise
tional team of scientists de- can measure that buildup ory or thinking abilities. For OVERLOOKED diagnosis. A list of medica-
fined Tuesday in the journal in living brains. now, it takes an autopsy to — Strokes, sometimes small tions common for seniors
Brain. But there could be a Then studies with those spot — the symptoms seem "silent" ones, can trigger can harm people with
sizeable number, said Dr. scans found about a third like Alzheimer's until a spe- what's called vascular de- Lewy body dementia, for
Peter Nelson of the Universi- of people with Alzheimer's cialist can peer inside the mentia, something scien- example. Knowing the spe-
ty of Kentucky, the paper's symptoms lack amyloid brain. tists at the National Insti- cifics also can help people
lead author. buildup — ruling out Al- "What is now clear is that a tutes of Health think might plan care, as some types
The dementia was dubbed zheimer's, said Schneider, lot of dementia is caused be prevented with better of dementia worsen faster
"LATE," an acronym chosen senior author of Tuesday's by gloppy proteins. We blood pressure control. than others.
in part because the oldest paper. What else could used to think it was just two — Lewy body dementia, And it's critical for develop-
seniors seem at greatest cause their dementia? gloppy proteins, amyloid named for clumps of still ing better dementia treat-
risk. ANOTHER TOXIC PROTEIN and tau," Nelson said. another abnormal protein, ments. Testing a treatment
Here's a look at various de- FOUND The next step: Finding better can cause Alzheimer's- that targets, say, the tau
mentias in the confusing It turns out another pro- ways to measure abnormal like symptoms along with tangles or amyloid plaques
Alzheimer's-or-not mix: tein, named TDP-43, also TDP-43 and diagnose LATE. movement and other prob- of Alzheimer's won't stand
SCIENTISTS STUMBLED ONTO can run amok in the brain. (It stands for an unwieldy lems. a chance if patients who
NEWEST DISORDER Scientists knew it plays a scientific name — Limbic- — Frontotemporal demen- only have TDP-43 are al-
Alzheimer's is the most role in a completely differ- predominant Age-related tia often triggers changes lowed into the study.
common form of demen- ent disorder, Lou Gehrig's TDP-43 Encephalopathy.) in personality and tends "If you have a dementia
tia, and autopsies have disease. Then, they linked "Our ultimate goal is to to strike at a younger age percolating in your brain,
long found its telltale signs TDP-43 buildup to severe test people hopefully in than Alzheimer's, yet can the only hope we have
in the brain: sticky plaque shrinking of the hippocam- a very noninvasive way," still be misdiagnosed. right now is to participate in
from an abnormal buildup pus, a brain region key for said National Institute on Many older patients proba- a clinical trial to try to stop
of amyloid protein, and learning and memory. Aging dementia specialist bly have "mixed dementia," it," Nelson said.q
U.S. wildlife officials propose downlisting endangered beetle

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — said Wednesday a large has been classified as en- when it was found only in ers, southwest regional di-
Federal wildlife officials scavenging beetle that dangered since 1989 has small populations in east- rector of the U.S. Fish and
become more plentiful and ern Oklahoma and Block Is- Wildlife Services.
should be downlisted to land off the coast of Rhode "We have made some posi-
threatened, a decision that Island. tive steps forward and are
environmentalists said is not Conservation efforts over now proposing to downlist
justified by scientific data. the past 30 years have the beetle," Leuders said.
The American burying bee- helped the beetle recover "The science shows the
tle was once found in 35 and it is now also found in American burying beetle
states and three Canadian Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, is even more endangered
provinces. It was on the Nebraska, South Dakota, now, yet the Trump admin-
brink of extinction when it Texas, and on Nantucket istration is severely reduc-
was classified as endan- Island off the coast of Mas- ing its habitat protections,"
gered three decades ago, sachusetts, said Amy Leud- Greenwald said.q