amyloid beta

noun

variants or amyloid-beta

ˈa-mə-ˌlȯid-ˈbā-tə 

 chiefly British  -ˌbē-tə

or amyloid beta protein or amyloid-beta protein or amyloid beta peptide or amyloid-beta peptide

: beta-amyloid

In Alzheimer's, the possible infectious agent under scrutiny is a protein called amyloid-beta best known as the main ingredient in the hulking, sticky gobs of plaque found in the brains of people with the disease.

—Laura Sanders

In Alzheimer's patients, the amyloid beta protein somehow goes off track and clumps together in sticky plaques that destroy healthy brain tissue.

—Nancy McVicar

Examples of amyloid beta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Clearing Protein Clumps and Reducing Inflammation With Alzheimer's, amyloid beta oligomers—small clusters of a brain protein called amyloid beta that become sticky and toxic—build up and attach to brain cells, interfering with how the brain works and eventually killing cells. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025

By targeting amyloid beta, the drug is expected to reduce these plaques and slow the progression of the disease. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025

Researchers discovered higher levels of tau and amyloid beta — both hallmarks of Alzheimer’s in the brain — in people who took longer to enter REM sleep, when dreaming occurs. —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Feb. 2025

This was a serious issue, because one of the cellular waste products it is supposed to remove is amyloid beta, found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. —Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for amyloid beta

• oligochaeta
• data
• theta
• zeta
• peseta
• punctata
• polychaeta

Medical Definition

amyloid beta

noun

variants or amyloid-beta or amyloid beta protein or amyloid-beta protein or amyloid beta peptide or amyloid-beta protein

: beta-amyloid

Small amounts of amyloid beta are generated as an ordinary metabolic byproduct and are believed to do no harm, but larger amounts seem to be tied to Alzheimer's.

—January W. Payne, U.S. News & World Report

In Alzheimer's patients, the amyloid beta protein somehow goes off track and clumps together in sticky plaques that destroy healthy brain tissue.

—Nancy McVicar, The Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

The treatment targets the buildup of lumps of protein fragments called amyloid beta peptides, which is the dominant theory of the cause of Alzheimer's.

—Victoria Colliver, The San Francisco Chronicle