New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has found that some simple drug treatments may help older brains recover after surgery and reduce age-related memory problems.
The studies were done in mice, but the findings offer hope for finding new ways to help aging humans keep their memory sharp.
The research team, led by Professor Uwe Rudolph, focused on two common problems in older adults: memory decline due to aging, and memory problems that happen after surgery. These issues can make life more difficult and are often hard to treat. The goal was to find noninvasive ways to improve brain function using drugs that might one day be used in humans.
In the first study, published in PNAS Nexus, the team looked at memory problems after surgery. Many older people experience confusion or memory loss after having surgery. For some, the problems can last for months.
This condition is known as postoperative cognitive impairment. About 10% of people over 60 still have memory and thinking problems three months after surgery.
To better understand this issue, the researchers studied older mice that had surgery. They used a common anesthetic drug called propofol, which is normally used to put people to sleep during operations. Although high doses of propofol may harm the brain, earlier studies showed that it might also help memory in certain situations.
In this study, the researchers gave small, timed doses of propofol to the mice before surgery. They found that the mice who got propofol did much better on memory and learning tests afterward. The effects lasted for five days, even though the drug usually leaves the body in a few hours.
When they looked at the mice’s brains, they found that the treated mice had more of a certain kind of receptor on brain cells. These receptors help brain cells communicate using a chemical called GABA, which is important for learning and memory. The propofol-treated mice also had lower signs of brain inflammation and cell damage.
In the second study, published in Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, the team focused on memory loss caused by aging. They created a special group of mice called “pseudo-aged” mice, which have brain changes similar to older animals.
This time, they used a different treatment: insulin given as a nasal spray. Some past studies have shown that insulin spray might help people with Alzheimer’s disease, so the team wanted to see if it could help with normal age-related memory decline.
The results were promising. After nine days of daily insulin spray, the older mice did much better on several memory tests. Their brains also showed lower signs of inflammation, suggesting that the insulin may help by calming harmful brain processes.
The researchers believe these two studies show that it may be possible to improve memory in older adults using safe and simple drug treatments. Intranasal insulin and carefully timed doses of propofol may work by reducing brain inflammation and helping brain cells communicate better.
In the future, the team plans to study whether the same brain receptors involved in the propofol effect also play a role in how insulin works. They also want to find out which exact brain cells are affected by these treatments.
These studies are still in the early stages and were done in mice, not humans. But they offer hope that new treatments could be developed to help older people stay mentally sharp, especially after surgery or as they age.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and cranberries could help boost memory.
For more health information, please see recent studies about heartburn drugs that could increase risk of dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
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