New therapies for dementia patients
Scientists at University of Queensland’s Brain Institute (QBI) are one step closer to developing new therapies for treating dementia. QBI’s Dr Jana Vukovic said the work was aimed at understanding the molecular mechanism that may impair learning and memory in the ageing population.
Scientists at University of Queensland’s Brain Institute (QBI) are one step closer to developing new therapies for treating dementia.
QBI’s Dr Jana Vukovic said the work was aimed at understanding the molecular mechanism that may impair learning and memory in the ageing population.
“Ageing slows the production of new nerve cells, reducing the brain’s ability to form new memories,” Dr Vukovic said, adding the research reportedly showed, for the first time, that the brain cells usually responsible for mediating immunity, have an “inhibitory effect” on memory during ageing.
Dr Vukovic also said the researchers showed a molecule called fractalkine, produced by nerve cells, could reserve the process and “stimulate” stem cells to produce new neurons.
The discovery, published in The Journal of Neuroscience last week, came after QBI scientists observed the increased production of new neurons in mice that were actively running was due to the release of fractalkine in the hippocampus – the brain structure responsible for specific types of learning and memory.
Director of QBI, Professor Perry Barlett, said it had been known for some time that exercise increased the production of new nerve cells in the hippocampus in young and even aged mice.
“But this study found it is fractalkine that appears to be specifically mediating this effect by making the microglia produce factors that activate the stem cells that produce new nerve cells,” he said.
“Once the cells are activated, they divide and produce new cells, which underpin the animal’s ability to learn and form memories. This means fractalkine may form the basis for the development of future therapies.”
According to Professor Bartlett, the discovery is especially exciting because they found older animals suffering cognitive decline showed significantly lower levels of fractalkine.
“We are seeking ways in patients with cognitive decline, and hoping this may be a new frontline therapy in treating dementia.
“The challenge is to find out how to stimulate this production in the aged animal and human where production has slowed,” he said.
