Scientists identify 'missing link' in process leading to Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at the University of Virginia have identified what appears to be a major missing link in the process that destroys nerve cells in Alzheimer's disease, an incurable disease that slowly destroys memory and cognitive abilities. The findings are reported in the Nov. 20, 2006, issue of the Journal of Cell Biology and could eventually lead to new drugs that target and disrupt specific proteins that conspire in the brain to cause Alzheimer's.