Johns Hopkins researchers employed limited proteolysis mass spectrometry to uncover over 200 types of misfolded proteins in aged rat brains associated with cognitive decline. Their findings, published in Science Advances, indicate that Alzheimer's disease and dementia pathology involves a broader spectrum of protein misfolding beyond amyloid-beta and tau amyloids. This expanded proteomic landscape could reveal novel therapeutic targets for age-related neurodegenerative disorders affecting populations over 65. Principal investigator Stephen Fried highlighted the need to look beyond conventional amyloid plaques to fully understand brain aging processes.