Leading Alzheimer's theory survives drug failure

Abstract

A drug that was seen as a major test of the leading theory behind Alzheimer's disease has failed in a large trial of people with mild dementia. Critics of the 'amyloid hypothesis', which posits that the disease is triggered by a build-up of amyloid protein in the brain, say the results are evidence of its weakness. But the jury is still out on whether the theory will eventually yield a treatment.