Science magazine has been investigating this for six months. This is disturbing, to say the least.
For several decades, a leading theory on the “cause” of Alzheimer disease is that a toxic protein called beta amyloid builds up in certain parts of the brain, impairing function. If that’s true, the next questions are 1) why does the protein accumulate, and 2) what can be done to prevent it.
From ABC News:
Allegations that part of a key 2006 study of Alzheimer’s disease may have been fabricated have rocked the research community, calling into question the validity of the study’s influential results.
Science magazine said Thursday that it uncovered evidence that images in the much-cited study, published 16 years ago in the journal Nature, may have been doctored.
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More than $1 billion of government funding, through the National Institutes of Health, has been directed to amyloid-related Alzheimer’s research. While the investigation suggests that studies of Aβ*56 should be opened up to new scrutiny, experts said the entire theory shouldn’t be discredited.
Steve Parker, M.D.
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