Molecular Investigation of Alzheimer’s Disease: Aromatic-Aromatic Interactions

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline and memory loss, resulting from a protein called amyloid beta. This review describes how Aβ forms, how computer models help scientists study it, and how clinicians detect its accumulation. Aβ proteins can misfold and stick together, forming fibrils and plaques that interfere with neuron function. These structures are held together by forces such as hydrogen bonds and aromatic–aromatic interactions, especially between the amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Computational simulations, such as molecular dynamics, have highlighted how such interactions take place and are used by researchers in designing drugs that can block them. Detection tools for Aβ buildup in the brain include CSF tests and PET scans. Newer and less invasive approaches, like blood-based biomarkers, make early detection and better treatments possible.