Diego Rincon-Limas, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of neurology and a member of the UF Genetics Institute, along with Todd Golde, Ph.D., director of the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and a professor in thedepartment of neuroscience, led a team of UF scientists who published a paper about the study in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Amyloid plaques are thought to be a key contributor to Alzheimer’s symptoms. They form when a protein called amyloid-β, which is normally made in the brain, accumulates outside neurons in the brain. There is a strong link between amyloid plaque build-up and the eventual development of Alzheimer’s symptoms. However, a lot remains unknown about how amyloid plaques damage the brain.