Steven Clarke, Rebeccah Warmack (IMAGE) University of California - Los Angeles Caption Steven Clarke and Rebeccah Warmack. They and UCLA colleagues report that beta amyloid, a small protein that plays an important role in Alzheimer's, has a specific amino acid that can form a kink, like a kink in a garden hose, creating a harmful molecular zipper, leading to the death of neurons. Credit Reed Hutchinson/UCLA Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.