I've Got Rhythm: Improving Memory Through Neurostimulation
Steven Dubovsky, MD reviewing Reinhart RMG and Nguyen JA. Nat Neurosci 2019 Apr 8
Might a noninvasive resynchronization technique have potential for treatment of cognitive decline?
Age-related cognitive decline (and, possibly, more-extreme pathological cognitive deterioration) seems linked to desynchronization and, therefore, disconnection of systems that seek and retain short-term information. Even though aging is inevitable, resynchronization of these systems may not be. Further research with HD-tACS and related neurostimulation might eventually yield nonpharmacologic and well-tolerated treatments for cognitive disorders.--Dubovsky
Is not "Alheimer s diease". It once of presenile dementia syndddroma with clinical name "the patientin of Dr Alzheimer"! The patientin Augusta D. had an atypical psychosis with perceptive and memory disturbances, and died from sepsis.
"...felodipine induces autophagy in neurons and enhances removal of a range of disease-causing proteins: mutant huntingtin, mutant [alpha]-synuclein, and tau."
Mutant huntingtin is characteristic of Huntington's disease, while mutant alpha-synuclein and tau are hallmarks of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, respectively.
The study is important because it shows that felodipine can remove mutant alpha-synuclein from the brains of mice at blood levels "similar to those that would be seen in humans taking the drug [for hypertension]."
"This is the first time," says corresponding study author David C. Rubinsztein, a professor of molecular neurogenetics at the University of Cambridge, "that we're aware of that a study has shown that an approved drug can slow the buildup of harmful proteins in the brains of mice using doses aiming to mimic the concentrations of the drug seen in humans."
"As a result," he continues, "the drug was able to slow down progression of these potentially devastating conditions and so we believe it should be trialed in patients."
Is this the future for degenerative brain disorders?
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