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It May be Possible to Restore Memory Function in Alzheimer's, Preclinical Study Finds
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It may be possible to restore memory function in Alzheimer's, preclinical study finds
Research published today (Jan. 22) in the journal Brain reveals a new approach to Alzheimer's disease (AD) that may eventually make it possible to reverse memory loss, a hallmark of the disease in its late stages.
The team, led by University at Buffalo scientists, found that by focusing on gene changes caused by influences other than DNA sequences -- called epigenetics -- it was possible to reverse memory decline in an animal model of AD.
"In this paper, we have not only identified the epigenetic factors that contribute to the memory loss, we also found ways to temporarily reverse them in an animal model of AD," said senior author Zhen Yan, PhD, a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.
The research was conducted on mouse models carrying gene mutations for familial AD -- where more than one member of a family has the disease -- and on post-mortem brain tissues from AD patients.
Inhibition of EHMT1/2 rescues synaptic and cognitive functions for Alzheimer's disease (open, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy354) (DX)
Early Prediction of Alzheimer's Progression: Blood Protein
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Early prediction of Alzheimer's progression: Blood protein
Years before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease manifest, the brain starts changing and neurons are slowly degraded. Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH) and the University Hospital Tuebingen now show that a protein found in the blood can be used to precisely monitor disease progression long before first clinical signs appear. This blood marker offers new possibilities for testing therapies. The study was carried out in cooperation with an international research team and published in the journal Nature Medicine.
"The fact that there is still no effective treatment for Alzheimer's is partly because current therapies start much too late," says Mathias Jucker, a senior researcher at the DZNE's Tuebingen site and at the HIH. He headed the current study. In order to develop better treatments, scientists therefore need reliable methods to monitor and predict the course of the disease before symptoms such as memory changes occur. A blood test is better suited for this than e. g. expensive brain scans.
Recently, there was some progress in the development of such blood tests. Most of them are based on so-called amyloid proteins. In Alzheimer's disease, amyloid proteins accumulate in the brain and also occur in the blood. However, Jucker and his colleagues take a different approach. "Our blood test does not look at the amyloid, but at what it does in the brain, namely neurodegeneration. In other words, we look at the death of neurons," says Jucker.
Note: DZNE is: "Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen".
Serum neurofilament dynamics predicts neurodegeneration and clinical progression in presymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0304-3) (DX)
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 29 2019, @09:52PM (4 children)
I mean, sure, just focus on the two word summary, and definitely ignore the context that establishes what they were doing and how it's genuinely relevant to establishing what the headline says. I mean a headline is a fully in-depth analysis, not some kind of summary of a summary, right?
Definitely insist on two variables being directly plotted against each other, even when the experiment design doesn't allow for that without intermediate inference.
That's totally good science, and not hard-headed pedantry at all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @10:00PM (3 children)
There is nothing difficult about choosing a headline claim that reflects the evidence in the paper. Are you suggesting this is too difficult a task for medical researchers?
There is also zero (legitimate) reason not to do biochem and behavior using the same mice. In fact it is *illegal* not to do that. Why did they chose to use an illegal "experimental design"?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @10:07PM
Same AC.
I just thought of a name for this behavior: The "White wall of scilence"*
Researchers who are bought into and dependent on the system of crappy research refuse to out each other. Not even for blatant disregard for what most people would expect are basic scientific and/or ethical standards like having the title say what you actually did rather than wish you did.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_wall_of_silence
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 29 2019, @10:27PM (1 child)
Alright, the snark was unfair, as you're too fucking dumb to get it.
A headline is not a strict statement of a single observed fact. You're both dumb and wrong to demand it do so
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @10:32PM
This doesn't have anything to do with a headline correctly describing what is in the paper, what are you talking about?
Amazingly, your answer seems to be: "Yes, it really is too difficult for medical researchers to choose a headline that accurately describes what they did".