Why chronic stress hastens progression of Alzheimer's disease
Published: Thursday, Jun 30, 2011, 17:49 IST

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/repor...isease_1560876

Previous studies have pinpointed the role of stress in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Now, scientists at the USC have discovered why.

...examined the brains of rats that had experienced psychological stresses and found high levels of the RCAN1 gene.

Davies and his colleagues suggest that chronic stress — physical or mental — causes overexpression of RCAN1, in turn leading to neurodegenerative disease.
..

In a healthy person, the RCAN1 gene helps cells cope with stress. Overproduction, however, can eventually damage neurons, preventing the brain's signals from traveling and causing disease.

... two competing theories about the leading cause of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease: overproduction of the Amyloid Beta peptide and tau hyperphosphorylation. Research ... suggests that overexpression of RCAN1 is connected to both, and appears to unite the Amyloid Beta and tau theories of neurodegeneration...


...The study has tremendous implications for understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease, the authors say.

The study has been published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.