A physical model for neurodegenerative diseases

Published : Nov 21, 2018 12:30 IST

Simulations of harmful proteins moving through the brain reproduce the pattern of brain damage seen in several neurodegenerative diseases.

Simulations of harmful proteins moving through the brain reproduce the pattern of brain damage seen in several neurodegenerative diseases.

Many neurodegenerative diseases, from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s, are related to the propagation and accumulation of malformed proteins throughout the brain, which cause the damage and death of brain cells. A team of researchers from Stanford, Oxford and the Stevens Institute of Technology has developed a new model describing how these toxic molecules diffuse through the brain’s inhomogeneous structure. The m odel reveals that the distribution of harmful proteins in each disease depends on where the proteins first appear. The model can also reproduce qualitatively the spatial distribution of the proteins seen in different diseases. The researchers hope it may inspire new ways to impede disease progression. The work has been reported in a recent issue of “Physical Review Letters”.

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