2024-02-03 20:28:00
Researchers from the Buck Institute for the Study of Aging in the United States have identified a mechanism that can restore memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This method was successfully tested on laboratory mice.
Most existing approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease rely on reducing the levels of toxic proteins (tau and beta-amyloid) that accumulate in the brain as the disease progresses. The authors of a new study have proposed an alternative therapy aimed at repairing the damage caused by dementia. The scientists’ main focus was on the KIBRA protein, which is present in the brain and kidneys. In the brain, this protein is mainly localized at synapses, the junction points between neurons. Previous research has shown that KIBRA is essential for the formation of memories.
In the new study, scientists measured KIBRA levels in people’s cerebrospinal fluid for the first time. They found that in Alzheimer’s disease there is a decrease in the level of this protein in the brain. They also found a link between increased levels of KIBRA in the cerebrospinal fluid and increased levels of the toxic protein tau.
Researchers created a shortened, functional version of the KIBRA protein and introduced it into mice that mimic human Alzheimer’s disease. The observations showed that the protein reversed the memory decline associated with this type of dementia. Thus, KIBRA restored mechanisms that promote synaptic stability.
The scientists emphasized that the protein does not reduce the levels of toxic proteins, but is able to restore lost memory functions, which is extremely important for patients.
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