Auriel Willette used data from brain scans and memory tests to track the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Photo by Blake Lanser
Iowa State University researchers have identified a protein essential for building memories that appears to predict the progression of memory loss and brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s patients. The findings also suggest there is a link between brain activity and the presence of the protein neuronal pentraxin-2, or NPTX2. The research, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, found a correlation between higher levels of NPTX2 and better memory and more brain volume. Lower levels of the protein were associated with diminished memory and less volume.
“NPTX2 seems to exert a protective effect,” Swanson said...
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