--- title: "Psych News Alert: Researchers Discover Crucial Finding About Progression of Alzheimer's" description: Alzheimer’s disease appears to progress like an infection, by the spread—from neuron to neuron—of a distorting protein known as tau . Resear... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_62575555-Jun-24-2025-10-38-11-4686-PM.jpg --- 2/3/12 12:00 AM # Researchers Discover Crucial Finding About Progression of Alzheimer's ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_62575555-Jun-24-2025-10-38-12-4111-PM.jpg?width=194&height=200&name=shutterstock_62575555-Jun-24-2025-10-38-12-4111-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_62575555-Jun-24-2025-10-38-10-4287-PM.jpg) Alzheimer’s disease appears to progress like an infection, by the spread—from neuron to neuron—of a distorting protein known as *tau*. Researchers working with genetically engineered mice independently at Columbia and Harvard found that destruction and death of brain cells, corrupted by *tau*, is spread from brain cell to brain cell. The finding answers a long puzzling question for Alzheimer’s researchers about how the disease progresses in the brain, incrementally destroying cognitive functions. And it holds out the promise that the disease could be halted in its early stages by the introduction of an antibody to *tau*. The report was in yesterday's *New York Times* and can be found [here](http://nyti.ms/y7a42M). To read much more about Alzheimer’s see *Psychiatric News* [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=113976). And information about Alzheimer’s can also be found in *The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Geriatric Neuropsychiatry: Third Edition*. Purchasing information is posted [here](http://appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemId=62371). (Image: Hywit Dimyadi/shutterstock.com) [Alzheimer's disease](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alzheimers-disease), [tau](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/tau), [brain research](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/brain-research) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dilip_jeste_blog-Jun-24-2025-06-34-59-5164-PM.gif?height=200&name=dilip_jeste_blog-Jun-24-2025-06-34-59-5164-PM.gif) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/breakthrough-in-cultured-neural-cells.html) [Alzheimer's disease](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alzheimers-disease), [amyloid plaques](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/amyloid-plaques) ## [Breakthrough in Cultured Neural Cells With Alzheimer's Could Speed Drug Testing](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/breakthrough-in-cultured-neural-cells.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 10/15/14 12:00 AM Neural cells with the genes for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were successfully grown in culture,... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/breakthrough-in-cultured-neural-cells.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alzheimer%3Bs%20brain_116741158-Jun-24-2025-05-40-02-3448-PM.jpg?height=200&name=Alzheimer%3Bs%20brain_116741158-Jun-24-2025-05-40-02-3448-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/05/gene-deactivation-finding-may-be-clue.html) [Alzheimer's disease](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alzheimers-disease) ## [Gene-Deactivation Finding May Be Clue in Alzheimer's Puzzle](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/05/gene-deactivation-finding-may-be-clue.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 5/6/13 12:00 AM A novel approach to treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) is suggested by research headed by Rudolph... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/05/gene-deactivation-finding-may-be-clue.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/brain%20with%20piece%20missing_73445704-Jun-24-2025-03-42-26-2347-PM.jpg?height=200&name=brain%20with%20piece%20missing_73445704-Jun-24-2025-03-42-26-2347-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/new-guidelines-for-alzheimer-diagnosis.html) [Alzheimer's disease](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alzheimers-disease), [Alzheimer's Association](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/alzheimers-association), [National Institute on Aging](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/national-institute-on-aging), [autopsy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autopsy) ## [New Guidelines for Alzheimer's Diagnosis at Autopsy](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/new-guidelines-for-alzheimer-diagnosis.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 6/24/24 11:16 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/new-guidelines-for-alzheimer-diagnosis.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T22:41:21.610Z", "datePublished" : "2012-02-03T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Researchers Discover Crucial Finding About Progression of Alzheimer's", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_62575555-Jun-24-2025-10-38-11-4686-PM.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/researchers-discover-crucial-finding.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```