However, scientists say a resulting medicine could treat Alzheimer‘s, Parkinson’s, Huntington‘s and other diseases. The University of Leicester discovery showed all brain cell death from prion disease in mice could be prevented.
The research team at the university’s Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit focused on the natural defense mechanisms built into brain cells. When a virus hijacks a cell it leads to a build-up of viral proteins. Cells respond by shutting down nearly all protein production in order to halt the virus‘s spread.
However, many neurodegenerative diseases involve the production of faulty or “misfolded” proteins. These activate the same defenses, but with more severe consequences.
The misfolded proteins linger and the brain cells shut down protein production for so long that they eventually starve themselves to death. This process, repeated in neurons throughout the brain, can destroy movement or memory or even kill, depending on the disease.
This process is thought to take place in many forms of neurodegeneration, so safely disrupting it could treat a wide range of diseases.
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