Painkillers show Alzheimer’s promise: NSAIDs like ibuprofen — albeit in much largeer doses than tolerable for humans — stops the production of harmful amyloid protein whose clumping in brain cells is considered one of the pathogenic processes in Alzheimer’s Disease. The finding presents promise that anti-plaque drugs without toxic side effects might utilize this mechanism. Nature [There has long been interest in anti-Alzheimer’s effects of NSAIDs as a result of the observation that seniors taking high doses of the medications for conditions like arthritis show amelioration of dementia symptoms. However, this is not likely to be due to the anti-clumping effect of the NSAIDs, which only ‘kicks in’ at higher doses. Instead, the medications may quell inflammation in the brain caused by already-formed plaques.]