Levels of the protein appoptosin in the brain skyrocket in Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. Appoptosin is known for helping the body make heme, the molecule that carries iron in the blood. In a study published Oct. 31 in the Journal of Neuroscience, Huaxi Xu, Ph.D. and his group at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute discovered that excess heme leads to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and triggers apoptosis, causing neurons to die.
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