Novel technique spotlights neuronal uptake of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's disease

(University of California - Santa Cruz) One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the formation of amyloid plaques that collect between neurons in the brain. Increasingly, however, attention has turned from these insoluble plaques to soluble forms of amyloid beta that can be taken up into neurons and are highly neurotoxic. A new study pinpoints a segment of the amyloid beta protein that is recognized by receptors involved in neuronal uptake of this toxic peptide.