KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This week is Brain Awareness Week, a time when many people focus on brain health, especially as they age.
The Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City has been studying the topic for 20 years. Dr. Kausik Si has led a two-decade study into amyloids — protein formations generally viewed as toxic byproducts in the brain, often linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Si has been researching amyloids using fruit flies and has found the first direct evidence that amyloids may not be entirely harmful.
“Perhaps all amyloids, including the so-called disease-causing amyloids, are initially formed because they serve a specific purpose,” Dr. Si said. “The second possibility implies that the nervous system has processes that can allow a protein to form an amyloid, and in the amyloid state it can do a meaningful function.”
While more studies are needed, Stowers researchers say the work could have a major impact on understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases in the future.
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