The possibility of a connection between aluminium in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease is an idea that just won’t go away—and now new research adds weight to the theory.
Traces of aluminium have been discovered in plaques—a build-up of abnormal tissue—from the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers.
The samples, analysed by researchers from Keele University, were taken from a group of patients who had a family history of Alzheimer’s.
The metal had binded to amyloid-beta peptides that form the brain plaques that are commonly seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
Although aluminium is often present in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, scientists aren’t sure of its role, and whether it is a cause or a co-rider.
(Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, 2021; 5: 283-94)
