A new laboratory study by scientists from Germany and the US shows that certain protein particles are indeed capable of multiplying and spreading from one cell to the next.

In diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s endogenous proteins accumulate in the brain, eventually leading to the death of nerve cells. These deposits, which consist of abnormally formed proteins, are supposed to migrate between interconnected areas of the brain, thereby contributing to the development of the illness.

The investigation was conducted by researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn and Munich who cooperated with scientists from the US and from other German institutions. The results are now published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130327104156.htm
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/15/5951