Scientists discover compound that arrests neurodegeneration in mice

The article says: "The researchers studied mice with prion disease because these mouse models currently provide the best animal representation of human neurodegenerative disorders in which the build up of misshapen proteins is linked with brain cell death. These include Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well as prion diseases. Another paper in Nature Neuroscience last month highlighted this pathway as a potential therapeutic target in treating Alzheimer’s."

The pathway they study is conserved from mice to humans so the results may be relevant. That being said I don't know whether this pathway is involved in Alzheimer's disease. What's more interesting is the mechanism of the curing. One often proposed model for dealing with neurodegeneration is to enhance naturally existing pathways in a cell that deal with misfolded proteins. The authors of this paper do the opposite. They found that this natural response was being overinduced in mice with prion disease and inhibiting it actually made them better. Certainly worth trying in other mouse models.