Alzheimer's Q&A with Dr. Jeffrey Kaye
July 22, 2015
In advance of last week’s Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, D.C., The Oregonian sat down for a Q&A with Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., professor of neurology OHSU School of Medicine and director of OHSU’s Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
What causes Alzheimer's disease?
The exact cause is not known. The leading candidates are some proteins that accumulate in the brain cells or the brain itself. Those are amyloid proteins and another protein called tau.
Is there any way to prevent it?
The way we hope to be able to prevent it is to reduce the proteins that accumulate abnormally. There are many other mechanisms that are also likely to play a role. For example, vascular disease in the brain has clearly been linked to Alzheimer's disease. Thus, mechanisms for reducing the burden of vascular disease in the brain are another pathway to prevent potential Alzheimer's disease.