Alzheimer's disease involves the buildup of plaques and tangles in the brain; interestingly, tangles made of tau protein aren't unique to Alzheimer's. Yet a new study found that an enzyme called Pin1 has opposite effects for different dementias. While the enzyme "detangled" tau proteins in Alzheimer's, it actually sped up the progression of another kind of tau-related disorder called frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17.

While dementia is an "umbrella" term for all disorders that create progressive brain dysfunction, that doesn't mean that all dementias are the same. Each dementia should be carefully evaluated and treated according to its specific cause or causes instead of assuming that an effective treatment for one dementia will work for similar disorders. Such an assumption might be ineffective, and it could actually make things worse.

For More Information:

• Getting an Accurate Diagnosis
• Types of Dementia
• Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease

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