Alzheimer's disease-affected brain: Presence of oligomeric Aβ ligands (ADDLs) suggests a molecular basis for reversible memory loss

A molecular basis for memory failure in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been recently hypothesized, in which a significant role is attributed to small, soluble oligomers of amyloid beta-peptide (A beta). A beta oligomeric ligands (also known as ADDLs) are known to be potent inhibitors of hippocampal long-term potentiation, which is a paradigm for synaptic plasticity, and have been linked to synapse loss and reversible memory failure in transgenic mouse AD models. If such oligomers were to build up in human brain, their neurological impact could provide the missing link that accounts for the poor correlation between AD dementia and amyloid plaques. This article, using antibodies raised against synthetic A beta…

• NU
  Northwestern University
• NI
  National Institutes of Health