A specific amyloid-β protein assembly in the brain impairs memory
Sylvain Lesne et al. (RETRACTED)
The mechanism behind Alzheimer’s disease has been debated for decades, with each new discovery seeming to completely overturn the last. In 2006, Lesné et al. proposed that Aβ*56 was sufficient to cause memory decline in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s, providing foundational support for theories of amyloid-driven Alzheimer’s prognosis. In 2025, two decades later, the paper was retracted due to its newly-discovered excessive manipulation of images, sending the entire field of Alzheimer’s research into a tailspin. The paper had been cited over 2300 times, directed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding grants, and remains the second-most cited paper ever to be retracted. The investigation that led to these conclusions implicated over 70 images in 20+ papers by lead author Sylvain Lesné, a prominent researcher in the space of “the Amyloid Hypothesis” (a theory largely based on his monumental 2006 paper). This retraction raised questions about the comprehensive study of Alzheimer’s such as whether the modern understanding was based on inaccurate data as well as whether decades of research had relied on an unstable foundation. The retraction also prompted debates over the peer review process as a whole and how such blatant image manipulation went undetected for years. Among concerns raised about the decrease of public trust in scientific research, multi-million dollar drug companies are rolling out controversial (and arguably ineffective and harmful) treatments for Alzheimer’s that rely on the Amyloid Hypothesis. It is crucial to clear the smoke around the mechanism of Alzheimer’s in order to treat the millions of people affected and immediately necessary to facilitate replicable, robust research that contributes to public trust in science.
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