Using a small molecule that activates 2 enzyme, researchers from India have managed to restore long-term memory in mice with Alzheimer’s.
They were able to restore the neural connections that form the network, which led to the recovery of memory in patients with mice. The therapeutic molecule used in the study was synthesized by a group from Department of molecular biology and genetics, Centre for policy research studies. Jawaharlal Nehru, India. Previously, the same procedure helped to improve the memory of healthy animals.
“If we could improve the memory of normal mice, we wondered if we could do the same in mice with Alzheimer’s disease?”, recalls Professor Kundu, head of the group. “We found a molecule that activates two enzymes in patients and mice produce new neurons. In addition, 81 gene expression was suppressed in mice with Alzheimer’s disease, was activated to a normal level”.
Most clinical studies of Alzheimer’s have failed because of cognitive dysfunction associated with the disease, occurs rather late, when the brain is suffering from ulcers deposits, tangles and cell death. The ability to reverse the damage through the production of new neurons — one of the possible outputs in the later stages of the disease. “There is a probability that a small molecule, at least can delay cognitive decline and improve the condition of patients,” said Kundu.