A major discovery by Australian scientists could improve how well drugs work for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and a leading cause of death in Australia, with around 250 Australians diagnosed with dementia every day.
The study, led by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, analyzed data from 475 people with different levels of cognitive impairment.
Researchers examined the amount of amyloid plaques in the brain, the shrinking of a part of the brain called the basal forebrain, and the decline in memory and attention.
Dr. Ying Xia, a researcher at CSIRO’s Australian e-Health Research Center, was the lead author of the study published in the journal Neurology. Dr. Xia emphasized the importance of early diagnosis in managing Alzheimer’s symptoms.
“Our results show that the shrinking of the basal forebrain, which is crucial for learning and memory, can signal the presence of Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms appear,” Dr. Xia explained.
“Our research suggests an important connection between brain structure changes and how the brain functions as Alzheimer’s progresses.”
These findings could help in developing better drugs to slow down the decline in brain function seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
This might include enhancing the cognitive effects of drugs currently in the approval process, which aim to clear amyloid plaques from the brain.
Dr. Xia noted that while new drugs targeting amyloid plaques look promising, it’s not yet clear if they address the root causes of memory and attention loss.
“Right now, the drugs available for managing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s only work in about 30% of cases,” said Dr. Xia. “We believe we can improve that by gaining a better understanding of the system targeted by current drug treatments.”
The next step in this research will be to figure out how early the impairment of the cholinergic system, which is involved in learning and memory, occurs and when to start cholinergic drug treatments to stabilize cognitive decline.
The study used data from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) project, which has been collected for over ten years. The research was a collaboration between CSIRO, the University of Queensland, Florey Institute, and the University of Melbourne.
This discovery not only provides hope for those affected by Alzheimer’s but also paves the way for more effective treatments in the future.
By identifying brain changes early and understanding their impact, scientists aim to improve the quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
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Source: CSIRO.
