Lanny-yap: Potential New Treatment For Alzheimer's

08 July 2010

Potential New Treatment For Alzheimer's

Left: Normal Brain. Right: Alzheimer’s Disease Brain.

Source: The Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR).

Scientists have discovered a compound that restores the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain's memory hub. The research, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, has turned up clues to a neuroprotective mechanism that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

"This neuroprotective compound, called P7C3, holds special promise because of its medication-friendly properties," explained Steven McKnight, Ph.D., who co-led the research with Andrew Pieper, M.D., Ph.D., both of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. "It can be taken orally, crosses the blood-brain barrier with long-lasting effects, and is safely tolerated by mice during many stages of development."

"This striking demonstration of a treatment that stems age-related cognitive decline in living animals points the way to potential development of the first cures that will address the core illness process in Alzheimer’s disease," said NIMH Director Thomas Insel, M.D.

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08 July 2010

Potential New Treatment For Alzheimer's

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