Chain reaction
Evidence emerges that Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s, may be transmissible
WHEN Auguste Deter (pictured above) was admitted to hospital in 1901, her medical records described her helpless expression and problems remembering her husband’s name. It was only after her death, in 1906, that an autopsy revealed a number of brain abnormalities. The doctor who discovered them was Aloysius Alzheimer and the two proteins he found in her brain are today thought to be an integral part of the disease named after him. These days Alzheimer’s is recognised as a progressive neurological condition that mostly arises in the old. Now scientists have uncovered evidence that it may be possible to transmit Alzheimer’s through certain medical procedures.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Chain reaction”
From the September 12th 2015 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else