Dementia is a word you might have heard before. It’s an illness that affects the brain, and it can change how people behave, remember things, or even speak.
Frontotemporal dementia is a particular type of this illness, and it’s usually found in people between the ages of 40 and 65.
Unlike other types of dementia, this one specifically affects the front (frontal) and side (temporal) parts of the brain.
These areas control our personality, speech, and memory. So when these parts are sick, a person can act differently, have trouble talking, or forget a lot of things.
The Mystery of Progranulin
Inside our brain, there are many different parts working together. One of those parts is a protein called progranulin. This protein is like a tiny worker in our brain cells, helping them do their jobs.
But in some people with frontotemporal dementia, a mistake in their genes (the instruction manual of the body) stops their brain cells from making this essential protein.
Scientists still have a lot to learn about progranulin, but they do know that not having it can lead to this type of dementia.
A Surprising Discovery
Recently, a group of scientists at the University of Kentucky made an interesting discovery.
They found that a type of medicine used to kill bacteria, known as aminoglycoside antibiotics, might also help treat frontotemporal dementia.
That’s a bit like finding out that a tool designed for fixing cars can also help repair bikes!
How Do These Antibiotics Work?
So, how do these antibiotics help? In their experiments, the scientists added two types of aminoglycosides, Gentamicin and G418, to brain cells with the faulty gene.
These antibiotics acted like a master craftsman, guiding the cells to bypass the mistake in the gene. This allowed the cells to make the progranulin protein once more.
It was as if the cells had a broken machine that couldn’t make progranulin, and the antibiotics were the mechanics who fixed it.
After the scientists added these antibiotics, the level of progranulin in the cells increased. It didn’t return to normal, but it did reach about half or a bit more of what it should be, which is a good start!
A Promise for the Future
These findings could be a big deal. Right now, there are no medicines that effectively treat any type of dementia. So, this study could be a crucial first step towards creating such a treatment.
It’s like the scientists have found a promising trail in an unexplored forest, but they still need to follow it to see where it leads.
The scientists’ next plan is to see if these antibiotics work the same way in mice with the same faulty gene that causes frontotemporal dementia.
After that, they want to make new drugs based on Gentamicin and G418 that could be even better and safer.
That’s important because, even though Gentamicin is a medicine that doctors can use today, it has some side effects.
That means it can cause other problems when used to treat something. The scientists’ goal is to make a new medicine that doesn’t have these issues.
This exciting research, led by Haining Zhu and his team, was shared in a scientific journal called Human Molecular Genetics.
While there’s still a lot more to learn, this study is a hopeful step forward in the fight against dementia.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
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