Recent research, conducted by the research team from the Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden, suggests that changes in the mitochondria that occur before beta-amyloid plaques appear could play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers hypothesized that this could make put people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. They also suggested their finding supported the idea that Alzheimer’s disease is a “multi-hit” disorder caused by many changes in the brain.
Dr. Theodore Strange, associate chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital and a specialist in geriatrics, who was not involved in the study, says: “[W]ith all phases of medicine now including heart disease and cholesterol, we’re dealing with the inflammatory piece. I think [this] will be the area that probably is where we’ll see some breakthrough [regarding Alzheimer’s], where we can target the immunologic response.”