Wissenschaftler finden Hinweise darauf, dass einige Alzheimer-Symptome außerhalb des Gehirns beginnen könnten

The experiment was to grow human motor neuron cells in a dish, that were affected by common genetic Alzheimer’s genes. They then observed how well these cells stimulated a muscle cell to contract.

The muscle cells showed no effect from the gene, but the neurons were less effective than a control, only stimulating the muscle cells sporadically compared to the input signals.

These motor neurons were not improved by the drugs that are effective in slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients — they were still only sporadically effective compared to healthy motor neurons.

The research suggests that the muscle symptoms (loss of balance, grip strength) that often precede cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients may be affecting the motor neurons directly, and not a minor side effect of the cognitive decline.