Losing memory is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, a symptom of the disease that depletes a patient’s quality of life.
Improving memory and slowing cognitive changes caused by the disease is an ongoing challenge for researchers seeking to develop novel therapies.
In a new study from the University of Rochester, researchers found that glatiramer acetate, a prescription drug currently used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), improved memory in Alzheimer’s disease.
This research extends our information about glatiramer acetate’s potential use in Alzheimer’s disease.
The team says this isn’t a cure, but it could be a step in the right direction for treatment to slow the symptoms of this debilitating disease.
Using a mouse model, researchers found changes in microglia—part of the brain’s immune system—and improvements in cognitive behavior when glatiramer acetate was used.
These changes were associated with less amyloid plaques and modifications to tau pathology—a protein found in neurodegenerative diseases—in the brain, indicating that molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease had been impacted.
Previous studies have found that glatiramer acetate can alter brain pathology in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models, but the exact mechanisms that are impacted in the brain are still unknown.
Overall, these findings provide further evidence that therapies that modify the immune system could be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study adds evidence to support trials that test the use of glatiramer acetate in patients at risk for developing Alzheimer’s.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about an aspirin a day does not keep dementia at bay and findings of processed meat may increase your dementia risk.
For more information about dementia and your health, please see recent studies about dementia and hearing loss: What you need to know and results showing that this simple blood test could detect dementia effectively.
The study is published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. One author of the study is M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D.
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