Physiological Functions Of The Amyloid Precursor Protein: A New Understanding

Found in many tissues, the amyloid precursor protein, or APP, is most widely known for its role in Alzheimer’s disease. But while scientists are intimately familiar with the protein’s role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, its contributions to healthy brain function remain widely undocumented. A recent study from a research team at the University of Heidelberg could change that precedent. The study, cited in Science Daily, uses a mouse model to explore key physiological functions of the APP protein family. Interestingly enough, the absence of the so-called “Alzheimer protein” during brain development resulted in brain malformations – which could have far-reaching impacts on the scientific community’s understanding of APP as a whole.