Chromosome 21, Tau Entanglement, and Alzheimer's

"Memory is the mother of all wisdom." - Aeschylus

There are still a great deal of things that we have yet to learn about the inner workings of our brain. We know even less about the many afflictions that keep our brain from working properly, most notably Alzheimer's Disease. The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's is an overarching term that refers to a sharp decline of cognitive abilities and memory. Found primarily in individuals of older age, Alzheimer's as we know it is inevitable. Even if humans were to devise a way to live indefinitely, all would eventually be plagued by dementia in some form or another. This is because most of the phenomena found that contributes towards Alzheimer's is entirely natural and necessary for brain function, yet can eventually be detrimental to our cognition.

In the human body, chromosome 21 is responsible for carrying out the genetic instructions to create a protein called APP. APP plays a role in neural growth and repair, and is found on cells throughout the entire body. The protein is divided and processed into several different compounds, one of which being a substance called Beta amyloid. Though the normal purpose of Beta amyloid is not yet known, we do know that it plays a significant role in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. If too much Beta amyloid is created, the proteins can stick together and form large groups known as plaques. The exact impact of these plaques are currently being studied, but it is clear that they play an integral role in neurological decline.
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"Tangling' is another protein-related issue that gravely impacts human cognition. A protein called Tau stabilizes micro-tubules in brain cells, an important function in transporting nutrients and other molecules throughout the cell. In many diseases that impact neurological function, these Tau proteins become sticky and tangle together, destabilizing the micro-tubules and inhibiting the transport of molecules. This can be disastrous for the cell, and can seriously detriment brain function over a longer period of time.

I very much hope that you found this post informative. If you would like to learn more about Alzheimer's and other neuro-degenerative diseases, please visit www.alz.org. Thanks for reading!