DALLAS: A new study suggests that plaque forming in arteries has much in common with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The plaque contains a dysfunctional buildup of immune cells called macrophages and protein waste.
In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the inner walls of arteries that deliver blood to the body. Studying mice and tissue samples from the arteries of patients, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest this accumulation is driven, at least in part, by processes similar to the plaque formation implicated in brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s…