beta-amyloid

noun

be·​ta-am·​y·​loid ˈbā-tə-ˈa-mə-ˌlȯid 

variants or beta-amyloid protein or beta-amyloid peptide

: an amyloid that is derived from a larger precursor protein and is the primary component of plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease

… beta-amyloid is the main component of the plaques, or brain lesions, found in the estimated 4 million Americans afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

—Discover

… researchers in California have created mice carrying the gene for beta-amyloid protein, the principal component of the plaques riddling the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

—Charlene Crabb

… he never underwent an autopsy that would have shown unequivocally whether the gummy mess of beta-amyloid plaques that is the telltale symptom of Alzheimer's had infected his brain.

—Michael Greenberg

called also A-beta, amyloid beta, amyloid beta peptide, amyloid beta protein

Examples of beta-amyloid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The drugs assessed in the new review, published on Thursday, target beta-amyloid proteins, which form plaques that seem to accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026

First, sleep allows the brain’s glymphatic system to clean out waste, such as beta-amyloid, that accumulates during waking hours, similar to how the lymphatic system clears waste from the rest of the body, Hwang said. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026

Then, about 16 years later when people were in their mid-fifties, participants had PET scans of their brains to measure the accumulation of tau and beta-amyloid proteins, substances tied to greater dementia risk. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Apr. 2026

Physical activity may also directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology, such as the buildup of toxic beta-amyloid in the brain, according to the researcher. —Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for beta-amyloid

• corticosteroid
• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid
• amyloid
• aneroid
• anthropoid
• arachnoid
• asteroid
• benzenoid
• carcinoid
• celluloid

Medical Definition

beta-amyloid

noun

be·​ta-am·​y·​loid

variants also β-amyloid

-ˈam-ə-ˌlȯid 

or beta-amyloid protein or beta-amyloid peptide

: an amyloid that is derived from amyloid precursor protein and is the primary component of plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease

called also A-beta, amyloid beta, amyloid beta peptide, amyloid beta protein