In a new study, researchers found that if scientists can overcome the loss of a process in the brain called “RNA editing,” they may be able to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease and other synaptic disorders.
RNA editing is a genetic mechanism that modifies proteins essential in the connection between nerve cells in the brain, called synapses.
RNA editing is deregulated in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, but whether this can cause disease is unknown.
In this study, the researchers replicated this deregulated process in the brains of mice and discovered it led to the loss of synapses, as occurs in Alzheimer’s.
The findings could have implications for a new way forward for ultimately treating Alzheimer’s disease.
The research was conducted by a scientific team at the University of Technology Sydney.
Understanding mechanisms leading to synapses loss is essential to understand how patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease start losing their memory capacities and how to prevent this from happening.
Many scientists consider that Alzheimer’s results from the build-up of a substance called amyloid in the brain. Consequently, they’ve focused their studies on removing amyloid.
However, the most important event is actually the loss of connections between nerve cells called synapses which are known to be essential for memory formation.
This study is extremely important because it now has shown a mechanism that can lead to loss of synapses as occurs in Alzheimer’s disease.
Synapses are important for learning, the loss of these synapses leads to memory loss.
This study suggests that if doctors can overcome the loss of RNA editing in the brain, they may potentially be able to slow the disease.
The team’s next step is to see if they can rescue synapses and memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease by overcoming the loss of RNA editing in the Alzheimer’s brain.
One author of the study is Professor Bryce Vissel.
The study is published in the journal Molecular Brain.
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