New research has unveiled a critical new piece of evidence in the mystery of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists have known for some time that Alzheimer's is always associated with an abundance of senile plaques and neuro-fibral tangles, but these are not generally considered the cause of the disease, but rather symptoms of a common cause. The memory loss associated with Alzheimer's is more closely related to the death of nerve cells. 

Now, researchers from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, OH believe they have discovered what causes these nerve cells to die—unorthodox cell division. They found a significant number of brain cells with extra copies of chromosomes in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The failed effort to divide likely killed the cells, leading to degeneration and dementia.

"It's almost as if Alzheimer's disease were novel form of cancer," says Karl Herrup, PhD. Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division.