Decreased TGF-beta Signaling Might Make You Demented

... The physical changes that occur in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, have been well-characterized, but the cause(s) of this disease and the development of therapies has remained elusive. A new study now shows that decreased signaling through a receptor known as T-beta-RII -- expression of which is decreased in the neurons of patients with AD -- increases neurodegeneration in mice. ...