Mouse Studies Suggest Alternative Approaches for Alzheimers?

People working on the distressing condition of Alzheimer's disease may be been concentrating on the wrong feature, according to new studies (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/15/alzheimers-disease-cause-study-caveats-aside-findings-encouraging). To date, scientists have devoted much attention to trying to develop treatments to remove amyloid plaque from the brains of people with the condition (recent studies suggest, unfortunately, that, once the plaque has accumulated, it is too late). One study has recently shown, however, that blocking the uptake of the amino acid arginine by the immune cells that normally protect the brain prevents both the build up of plaque and memory loss in a mouse model. It has been suggested that the build up of pre-plaque sticky proteins destroys memory because the body switches off all neural protein production in an attempt to limit amyloid plaque deposition. If protein production is switched back on, the mice reportedly regained their memories even though their brains appeared abnormal (whether there would be complete recovery of complex memory remains to be assessed). It seems that Altzeimers may be caused by the immune cells protecting the brain going 'rogue'. If this is so, why this happens in some people and not others also needs determining.