MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute scientist Dr. Bernard G. Schreurs and Dr. D. Larry Sparks of the Sun Health Research Institute have determined that trace amounts of copper can increase the number of Alzheimer’s-related plaques in a rabbit model for the disease. The findings were reported in the August 11 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Rabbits fed a diet high in cholesterol develop many of the pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease, leading researchers to use the animals as an Alzheimer’s model.

The article, “Trace Amounts of Copper in the Water Induce {beta}-Amyloid Plaques and Learning Deficits in a Rabbit Model of Alzheimer’s Disease,” is also available on the PNAS web site, http://www.pnas.org. PNAS is one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serials.

Schreurs and Sparks noticed that cholesterol-fed rabbits that drank distilled water developed fewer plaques than those that drank tap water. Further investigation revealed significant amounts of copper in the tap water of many labs. To determine whether copper influences plaque formation, the scientists added trace amounts of copper to the distilled drinking water of some cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Rabbits that received the copper supplement for 10 weeks developed significantly more plaques and plaque precursors than cholesterol-fed rabbits that drank only distilled water. Furthermore, the copper-dosed rabbits were less able to learn a difficult conditioning task than rabbits not receiving the supplement. The researchers suggest that copper combined with cholesterol may prevent the brain from removing beta-amyloid, a plaque-inducing protein.

Dr. Schreurs, an Associate Professor with BRNI, received his Ph.D. in Biopsychology from the University of Iowa. He joined the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in July of 2000. As the only non-profit institute with a dedicated study of human memory, BRNI partners West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va., and Johns Hopkins University in Rockville, Md.


More information about the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute is available at www.brni.org.