Accumulation of beta-amyloid confirmed to cause early brain damage in Alzheimer's disease
- One step closer to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease
- Bibliographic reference
- Alzheimer's in figures
- About the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center and the Pasqual Maragall Foundation
An innovative study, led by Dr Raffaele Cacciaglia from the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), has shown that the accumulation of beta amyloid alone can cause brain atrophy and cognitive impairment, even without elevated levels of tau protein.
This breakthrough has been possible thanks to 360 middle-aged volunteers without cognitive impairment from the Alpha cohort, promoted by the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation.
A study by the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), a research centre of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, has identified that the accumulation of beta amyloid can, by itself, cause brain damage in the early stages of Alzheimer's, even without elevated levels of tau protein. This finding, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, provides new clues as to how this disease, which affects more than 900,000 people in Spain, develops.
Until now, it was believed that neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's, especially that affecting the medial temporal lobe of the brain, a region essential for memory function, only occurred when two key proteins were present: beta amyloid and tau. However, this new work suggests that the accumulation of beta-amyloid can, by itself, trigger brain damage and memory loss in the early stages, even without the presence of high levels of tau.
To reach this conclusion, the team of researchers from the BBRC, led by Dr Raffaele Cacciaglia, has worked with two independent cohorts of people without cognitive impairment, volunteers from the Alfa cohort promoted by the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, to analyse data through high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and disease markers. The results show that the accumulation of beta-amyloid can be an indicator of structural changes in the brain and a possible deterioration of memory before the appearance of obvious symptoms.
‘In recent years, the first drugs have been approved to reduce the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brains of people in the early stages of Alzheimer's. This advance suggests that intervening in the early stages, before symptoms appear, could slow down the progression of the disease. Beta amyloid seems to directly affect the hippocampus, a key region for memory, so acting in advance could significantly reduce the risks associated with Alzheimer's,’ says Dr Raffaele Cacciaglia, BBRC researcher and study leader.
One step closer to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease
The study analysed samples of cerebrospinal fluid from 360 volunteers from the Alfa cohort promoted by the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation and used state-of-the-art technologies to capture detailed images of the hippocampus and other brain structures using advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques. Furthermore, the data from the Alpha participants has been compared with the EPAD validation cohort, with no Alzheimer's symptoms or presence of tau protein.
The discovery that beta-amyloid alone can cause initial atrophy in critical regions of the brain underlines the importance of early detection and prevention. It also reinforces the need for clinical trials aimed at people with risk profiles, before Alzheimer's begins to manifest itself.
Bibliographic reference
Cacciaglia R, Falcón C, Benavides GS, et al.; for the ALFA study (2025). Soluble Aβ pathology predicts neurodegeneration and cognitive decline independently on p-tau in the earliest Alzheimer's continuum: evidence across two independent cohorts. Alzheimer's Dement; e14415. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14415
Alzheimer's in figures
It is currently estimated that Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases affect 900,000 people, which translates into one in ten of those over 65 and one third of those over 85. These pathologies are one of the main causes of mortality, disability and dependency. If effective care is not found and with life expectancy on the increase, by 2050 the number of cases could triple worldwide, exceeding one and a half million people in Spain alone, a fact that could lead to the collapse of the health and welfare systems.
About the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center and the Pasqual Maragall Foundation
The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is the research centre of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, promoted by the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation since its creation, dedicated to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and the study of cognitive functions affected in healthy and pathological aging.
The Pasqual Maragall Foundation is a non-profit organisation that was set up in April 2008 in response to the commitment made by Pasqual Maragall, former mayor of Barcelona and former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, when he publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Foundation's mission is to promote research to prevent Alzheimer's and to offer solutions that improve the quality of life of those affected and their carers.
