According to scientists from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, the molecule, known as GSK3-beta, activates a gene that creates a protein called BACE1.
When BACE1 cuts another protein, called APP, the resulting fragment - known as amyloid beta - forms tiny fibers that clump together into plaques in the brain, eventually killing neural cells.
Using an animal model, Dr Weihong Song found that disabling GSK3-beta's effect in mice resulted in less BACE1 and far fewer deposits of amyloid in their brains.
Song's research, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, also found that such mice performed better than untreated mice on memory tests.
Previous research had shown that GSK3-beta spurred the growth of twisted fibers inside neurons, known as tangles