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BUFFALO (USA) – Scientists at the University of Buffalo in the United States have temporarily reversed the memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease in mice. The results of the research were published Tuesday (22) in the journal "Brain".
The leading cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is the result of a complex set of risk factors badociated with lifestyle and genetic characteristics, and results in a gradual deterioration of memory capabilities. and the brain. There is no treatment or treatment that steadily slows down your progress.
Researchers have determined that the disease harms the ability of neurons to transmit electrical impulses to parts of the brain responsible for memory formation. They observed the changes known as epigenetics – which affect how DNA instructions are read and expressed by cells, but not the sequence of DNA bases.
By deciphering the way in which epigenetic changes interfere with communication between neurons and cause memory loss, they were able to propose drugs that could restore brain signaling.
– In addition to identifying the epigenetic factors that contribute to memory loss, we were able to temporarily reverse them in animal models of Alzheimer's disease – said Professor Zhen Yan, lead author of the study
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Most research on Alzheimer's disease is focused on the toxic accumulation of abnormal proteins that characterize the progression of the disease. Yan and his colleagues focused on a different factor affecting the formation of memories.
They found that in parts of the brain responsible for the functioning of working-memory (or short-term) neurons, they lost receptors in favor of a major neurotransmitter, glutamate. They also identified a group of enzymes that could affect the genes responsible for producing these neurotransmitters.
– When we administered to animals suffering from Alzheimer's disease an inhibitor of this enzyme, we observed a recovery of cognitive functions confirmed by evaluations of working memory, spatial memory and recognition – said Professor Yan. – We were surprised by such a cognitive improvement.
The improvements lasted only a week, but the researchers are trying to perfect the method of administering the inhibitor to allow the drug to reach more neurons and to have a prolonged effect.
Scientists studying this disease have stated that epigenetic research is promising, but its short-term results in mice do not guarantee that the same effects will be achieved in humans and in all types of patients. Alzheimer's disease.
One of the most interesting aspects of this type of research is that epigenetic modifications are potentially reversible. This study showed that attacking them could improve brain function in mice with Alzheimer's disease. "Rosa Sancho, from the British Alzheimer Research Center." These discoveries must now be made as part of studies with people to see if they can serve as a basis for future treatment.
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