Neuroscientists at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) have discovered an innovative new way of reducing the level of memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Research recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that the molecule p75 neurotrophin receptor plays an essential role in nerve cell degeneration at the basal forebrain.

According to the study's author, QBI neuroscientist Dr Elizabeth Coulson, findings from trials on both cultured cells and animal models suggest that by removing the p75 cell death receptor it is possible to prevent the build-up of the neuro-toxin Amyloid beta, associated with Alzheimer's.

Dr Coulson commented: "Discovering how Amyloid beta triggers neuronal degeneration has been a question bugging neuroscientists for decades, and we have identified an important piece of the puzzle.

"If such therapy is successful, it probably wouldn't cure this multifaceted disease, but it would be a significant improvement on what is currently available for Alzheimer's disease patients."

QBI reports that according to predictions from the World Health Organisation, neurodegenerative conditions are set to overtake cancer to become the leading cause of death worldwide by 2040.

As the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease currently affects ten per cent of people over the age of 65 and 40 per cent of those above 80.

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