If you’ve heard of Alzheimer’s disease, you might be aware of how it affects memory and other crucial mental functions.
Researchers have been working tirelessly to find a cure or at least something to slow its progression.
Now, a team of scientists from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) might have made a promising breakthrough.
The NIA’s New Drug Candidate
This team has developed an anti-inflammatory drug, called 3,6′-dithiopomalidomide (DP), which seems to protect mice from cognitive decline by reducing inflammation in their brains.
This discovery was recently shared in a well-known scientific journal called Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
What’s Special about This Research?
Scientists believe that inflammation in the brain, which can start decades before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s become apparent, plays a significant role in this disease.
This new study adds to the growing evidence that supports this idea. This is why finding ways to reduce this inflammation could be the key to treating Alzheimer’s.
The Testing Process
The researchers tested DP on a special type of lab mouse. These mice were genetically altered to produce up to five times more of a substance called beta-amyloid plaques than normal.
This substance is a classic sign of Alzheimer’s disease and is believed to trigger an inflammatory response that damages the brain.
The Encouraging Results
After giving these mice the DP treatment for four months, the scientists noticed some exciting changes.
The inflammation in the mice’s brains was reduced, fewer brain cells were dying, and there were more connections between the neurons in the parts of the brain responsible for memory and attention.
The mice also did better on lab tests that measure spatial and working memory, anxiety behaviors, and motor function.
These improvements suggest that the DP treatment had a protective effect against cognitive impairment, which is a fancy way of saying it helped the mice keep their mental abilities.
What This Could Mean for Humans
While these results are promising, keep in mind that this study was conducted on mice. We still need to test DP on humans to see if it could potentially be a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
However, this research is a step in the right direction and gives us hope that we might be closer to finding a way to help people with Alzheimer’s.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about walking patterns may help identify specific types of dementia, and common high blood pressure drugs may help lower your dementia risk.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about this tooth disease linked to dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, and prevent dementia.
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
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