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Alzheimer's is a very dreaded disease that, aaccording to the Alzheimer's Association affected more than 5.7 million only in the United States, in 2018. The disease is wreaking havoc on the brain and, as far as treatment is concerned, there is little good news.
Epigenetics to the rescue
Now, a team led by scientists at the University of Buffalo has revealed a new optimistic approach to Alzheimer's disease that could even possibly reverse memory loss. The approach calls for epigenetics.
Epigenetics involves making inherited gene expression changes that do not involve modifications to the underlying DNA sequence. This method can be performed by focusing on genetic modifications caused by influences other than DNA sequences.
The study was performed on mouse subjects carrying genetic mutations for familial Alzheimer's disease.
"In this article, we have not only identified the epigenetic factors that contribute to memory loss, we have also found ways to temporarily reverse them in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease," said lead author Zhen Yan, PhD, Distinguished Professor at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics of the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Jacobs of UB.
Alzheimer's disease is caused by changes in the expression of genes that occur later in life, but little is known about how they occur. Now, this team of researchers has identified a possible key reason for this terrible cognitive decline.
It turns out that glutamate receptors, essential for learning and short-term memory, are lost during these changes.
"We found that in Alzheimer's disease, many subunits of glutamate receptors in the frontal cortex are negatively regulated, disrupting excitatory signals, thereby impairing working memory," Yan said.
This devastating loss of glutamate receptors is the result of an epigenetic process called repressive modification of the histone. This process is very high in patients with Alzheimer's.
"This alteration of the abnormal histone-related AD is what represses gene expression, decreasing glutamate receptors, resulting in loss of synaptic function and memory deficits," he said. said Yan.
New potential drug targets
At present, this approach could lead to new and more effective drug targets.
"Our study did not only reveal the correlation between epigenetic changes and AD, we also found that we could correct cognitive dysfunction by targeting epigenetic enzymes to restore glutamate receptors," Yan explained.
In addition, Yan stressed the importance of an epigenetic process applied to all brain disorders, because this type of approach allows to control not one, but many genes and these types of disorders are often polygenetic diseases.
"An epigenetic approach can correct a network of genes, which will collectively restore cells to their normal state and restore complex brain function," Yan said. You speak of a customized solution!
The study was published in the journal Brain.
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