loss of NCAM2 tagged posts

Neural cell adhesion molecule 2 in PDB entry 2v5t

UNSW scientists have discovered how connections between brain cells are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease – work that opens up a new avenue for research on possible treatments for the degenerative brain condition. “One of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of synapses ” says Dr Vladimir Sytnyk, of the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. “Synapses are required for all brain functions, and particularly for learning and forming memories. In Alzheimer’s disease, this loss of synapses occurs very early on, when people still only have mild cognitive impairment, and long before the nerve cells themselves die.

The team studied a protein in the brain called neural cell adhesion molecule 2, or