At issue is an idea called the amyloid hypothesis: the idea that one of the causes of Alzheimer’s is the buildup of protein fragments called beta amyloid that create tangled clumps in the brain. In one sense, there’s little debate about the amyloid hypothesis. Genetic studies seem to show pretty clearly that having the wrong version of a gene related to amyloid leads to Alzheimer’s. The question at hand is more specific: does attacking that amyloid with a drug actually do anything? – READ MORE
