Dhaka, Sept. 17 -- Scientists may have found a critical clue to one of Alzheimer's disease's longest-standing mysteries -- how abnormal protein build-up in the brain eventually leads to memory loss.

A study from the Institute of Basic Science in South Korea identifies a receptor protein called ERBB4 as a possible missing link between the early cellular chaos of Alzheimer's and the cognitive decline that follows, reports The Independent.

Alzheimer's has long been associated with amyloid plaques and tau tangles -- abnormal protein clumps that damage nerve cells, disrupt connections and trigger runaway brain activity.

But scientists have struggled to explain precisely how these changes translate into lost memories.

The new research point...