Scientists at UCLA Health may have found a new way to bring back memory in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
In a new study, they discovered a special compound called DDL-920.
This molecule helped mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms remember things again, which gives hope for future treatment in humans.
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious condition that affects memory and thinking skills. Over time, people with this disease can forget important things, struggle with simple tasks, and even have trouble speaking.
The disease is mostly caused by a buildup of harmful plaque in the brain. Current medicines like lecanemab and aducanumab try to remove this plaque, which slows down memory loss, but they do not bring back the memory that has already been lost.
The team at UCLA Health took a different path. Instead of focusing on the plaque, they looked at how the brain’s memory system works. Our brain has different rhythms that help it function—like music playing in sync.
One of the fastest rhythms is called gamma oscillation. These brain waves are important for memory and thinking. In people with Alzheimer’s, these gamma waves are often weaker, which may explain their memory problems.
Other scientists have tried to fix these brain waves using things like lights, sounds, or magnets. These tools helped break down plaque but didn’t really improve thinking or memory. So, the UCLA team tried something new. They wanted to restart the brain’s memory rhythm from the inside out.
They focused on a group of brain cells called parvalbumin interneurons. These cells are key to creating gamma waves. But there’s a problem: these cells have special switches, or receptors, that act like brakes and slow them down.
The researchers found that DDL-920 can block these brakes, helping the cells keep the gamma rhythm strong.
To test this, they used a group of lab mice that had symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s. The mice were placed in a special maze called a Barnes maze. It’s a test that checks how well animals remember where things are.
At first, the Alzheimer’s mice had trouble with the test. But after being given DDL-920 for two weeks, they performed just as well as normal mice. They could remember where the escape hole was, showing that their memory had returned.
Even better, the mice didn’t show any strange behavior or side effects during the treatment. This is a good sign that the compound might be safe.
Dr. Istvan Mody, who led the study, said that there is nothing else quite like this treatment out there. But he also warned that more testing is needed to see if it works and is safe for people.
This discovery could be important not just for Alzheimer’s. Since weaker gamma waves are also seen in other brain conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and autism, DDL-920 might help in those cases too.
This research gives hope that one day, people with Alzheimer’s may be able to get some of their memory back—not just stop it from getting worse.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
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