Scientists Find Brain Receptors Clearing Alzheimer’s Plaques

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan have identified two somatostatin receptors in the brain that regulate the enzyme neprilysin to break down amyloid beta, a protein that accumulates in Alzheimer's disease. Their study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, reveals that mice lacking these receptors showed increased amyloid buildup and memory problems. By stimulating these receptors, they increased neprilysin levels and ameliorated symptoms in Alzheimer's-like mice without significant side effects. The discovery offers hope for developing cost-effective drugs targeting these receptors, which are already common in other treatments and can be delivered in pill form.