Alzheimer’s disease is one of medicine’s most elusive thieves, a disease that slowly and irreversibly robs a person’s ability to think, reason, remember and maintain normal body functioning. The underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, but researchers believe that one of the prime suspects is a microscopic fragment of protein known as amyloid beta (Aß). Scientific evidence suggests that tangled, sticky masses of Aß called plaques disrupt communication between brain cells and eventually, lead to their death.