Inflammation in the brain is not a trigger that leads toa build-up of Alzheimer’s disease-causing amyloid-beta plaques. It couldactually be manipulated to cleanse the brain of those plaques, according to newresearch.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Florida used “SomaticBrain Transgenesis” to induce inflammation in the brains of laboratory micepredisposed to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Contrary to conventional wisdom,the inflammation did not spur the development of amyloid-beta plaques. Rather,it prevented the plaques from forming and cleared existing plaques. To confirmthe results, researchers conducted the experiment using several differentapproaches. The results remained consistent.

Most people who study Alzheimer’s disease believe thatinflammation of the brain causes the build-up of amyloid-beta plaques, whichare associated with the development of Alzheimer’s, according to leadresearchers Pritam Das, Ph.D. By selectively manipulating brain inflammation,researchers could develop an effective treatment for neurological disordersassociated with a buildup of proteins and plaques. The research appears in theonline issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental BiologyJournal.