Could an aspirin a day keep the Alzheimer's away? If only it were that simple. And yet, new research suggests that there does seem to be some hope that aspirin, one of the most widely used medications in the world, may help to treat some aspects of this devastating brain disease.
Scientists have discovered that aspirin works with certain subcellular machinery in the brain to prevent the buildup of amyloid plaque, sticky blobs of protein around brain cells that are thought to be the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease, according to the new study, which was done in mice.
In the study, mouse experiments revealed that aspirin enhanced the ability of lysosomes, which are sort of like the cells' waste processors and recyclers, to clear amyloid plaque or stop it from forming in the first place. Aspirin should have the same effect on the human form of Alzheimer's, too, said the researchers, who published their findings in The Journal of Neuroscience.
