Scientists Reverse Dementia In Mice By Treating Inflammation

Experiments conducted at the University of California, Berkeley suggest targeting inflammation in the brain might stop it in its tracks.

Scientists say that for the very first time they have reversed dementia in mice with a drug that reduces inflammation.

Up until now, most dementia treatments have targeted the amyloid plaques that are found in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists found that with this novel approach for treating inflammation, senile mice were significantly better at learning new tasks, and became almost as adept as those half their age.

The successful treatment in mice supports a growing body of research which says that our blood-brain barriers begin to leak as we get older. This is the filtration system that blocks infectious organisms, letting in chemicals that destroy neurons.

Previous MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans by study co-author Professor Alon Friedman have found that the barrier breaks down in nearly 60% of people by the age of 70.

Experiments in mice showed this causes an inflammatory fog that alters the brain’s rhythms, causing tiny seizure-like events. This leads to momentary lapses in the hippocampus that controls memory—shedding fresh light on the symptoms of dementia and other degenerative brain diseases.

Researchers are hopeful that the results in mice can provide positive treatments for humans too.

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