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Researchers at the University of California- Riverside (UCR) recently published results from a study that looked at a protein called tau. By studying the different forms tau proteins take, researchers discovered the difference between people who developed dementia (chứng mất trí) and those who didn’t.

The tau protein was critical for researchers because they wanted to understand what the protein could reveal about the mechanism (cơ chế) behind plaques and tangles, two critical indicators (chỉ số) doctors look for when diagnosing (chẩn đoán) people with Alzheimer’s.

By analyzing donated brain samples, researchers found that those with brain buildup, like plaques and tangles, but had no dementia had a normal form of tau. However, those who had a “different-handed” form of tau and developed plaques or tangles did have dementia.

Ryan Julian, a chemistry professor (giáo sư hóa học) at UCR, said in a press release (thông cáo báo chí), “roughly 20% of people have the plaques, but no signs of dementia. This makes it seem as though the plaques themselves are not the cause.”

The amino acids that make up proteins like tau can either be right-handed or left-handed isomers, and normally proteins in living things are made from all left-handed amino acids, explained Julian.

However, most proteins only survive for less than 48 hours in the body, and if they hang around too long, certain amino acids can convert into the other-handed isomer. So that means a left-handed isomer could inadvertently convert into a right-handed isomer, which can lead to serious problems.

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