New simulation shows how Alzheimer’s spreads

A new computer model maps how misshapen proteins associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and ALS spread throughout the brain. The work could aid in finding ways to diagnose and treat these neurodegenerative disorders. For the first time, scientists have developed a computer simulation of how clumps of defective proteins in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's spread through the brain, much of the time in stealth mode, over as long as 30 years. Go to the web site to Computer simulation shows how two forms of Alzheimer's disease spread through the brain over a 30-year period. The orange shading shows how clumps of defective amyloid-beta proteins form memory-destroying plaques. The blue shading shows how defects involving the tau protein follow a different progression. The final sequences show how each of these contagions come to engulf the brain. "We hope the ability to model neurodegenerative disorders will inspire better diagnostic tests and, ultimately, treatments to slow down their effects," said Stanford mechanical engineer Ellen Kuhl , who describes the work in an Oct.