Wei Kang was shaken to the core. He suddenly understood why the other man had asked so many questions.
Alzheimer's disease!
So this was the answer the other man truly wanted.
Alzheimer's disease, commonly known as senile dementia, was a chronic neurodegenerative disease that progressed slowly and worsened over time. Its true cause remained unknown to this day.
Existing studies had shown that the disease was linked to two proteins that accumulated abnormally in the brain: Tau protein and beta-amyloid protein.
The most widely accepted theory was that beta-amyloid protein accumulated first, triggering synaptic dysfunction in neurons, excessive phosphorylation of Tau protein, and secondary inflammatory responses. This led to neuronal degeneration and death, gradually devouring functions such as memory and cognition.
As people aged, beta-amyloid plaques accumulated in some brains. These plaques were especially abundant in the hippocampal region of Alzheimer's patients, which was associated with learning and memory. Therefore, most current clinical trials targeted beta-amyloid protein, attempting to break down or prevent the formation of beta-amyloid plaques.
As human life expectancy increased, roughly one person around the world developed Alzheimer's disease every three seconds. By 2050, the global Alzheimer's population was projected to double every twenty years, reaching 152 million and becoming an urgent medical and social problem worldwide.
In Eagle Country alone, related treatment costs reached as much as one trillion dollars in 2018 and would soar to two trillion dollars by 2030.
At present, the most effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease was believed to be enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission in the brain and reducing the hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh). In addition, protecting nerve cells from Aβ-induced cellular damage and apoptosis also played a positive role in preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease.
Yet no drug could completely cure the disease by targeting its underlying mechanism. Existing medications could only