The Power of Prions : The Strange and Essential Proteins That Can Cause Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Other Diseases

The remarkable family of proteins that can make us very ill—but can also be linked to long-term memory, immunity, and the origin of life Over the last decade, scientists have discovered the importance and widespread presence in the body of a remarkable family of proteins known as prion proteins. Research links various types of prion proteins to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's—and this has fueled the search for new drugs that could halt the progression of these terrible disorders. Other discoveries have revealed the essential roles prion proteins play in memory and immunity, and—in an extraordinary finding—the part they may have played in the beginnings of life on our planet. In this engaging and accessible book, Michel Brahic tells the story of these amazing and versatile proteins. Brahic, a leading researcher on diseases of the central nervous system, first describes the discovery of prions and their role in...