One theory that conforms with this is the idea that the amyloid plaques are the body's way of trying to stop the destructive process -- sealing things off -- and that by forcibly removing them, it's like ripping off a Band-Aid. The "bleeding" starts again. In other words, the plaques are a symptom, not a cause.

This idea certainly has merit, given that many of the supposed plaques-attacking medicines make patients dramatically WORSE in clinical trials.

I have been saying for years that everyone was going after the effect (amyloid plaques) instead of the cause (whatever it is). I hope that AVXL or NTRP or some other company that we don't know about yet (or PRAN?) comes up with a drug or drugs that help. It would be great if some of the different approaches these companies are taking turned out to be complementary therapies, so that a combo dosing could halt and reverse this horrible disease.