MIT scientists have shown that a cocktail containing three compounds normally in the blood stream promotes growth of new brain connections and improves cognitive function in rodents. The therapy is now being tested in Alzheimer's patients and could hold promise for other brain diseases and injuries.

The mixture, which includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid, is part of a new approach to attacking Alzheimer's. That approach focuses on correcting the loss of synapses, or connections between neurons, which characterizes the disease.

For the past 30 years, scientists have tried targeting the clumps of misfolded proteins, known as amyloid beta plaques, found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. However, that approach has not yielded any effective therapys for the disease, which affects an estimated four million to five million Americans.

"It's been very frustrating," said Richard Wurtman, the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor of Neuropharmacology and senior author of a paper on the new work reported in the recent issue of Brain Research. "Nobody has demonstrated that if you prevent formation of the amyloid, people get better".

In December, a group of Alzheimer's researchers, including Wurtman, will participate in a symposium with the goal of developing a public policy to promote new approaches to Alzheimer's research. Organizers of the symposium think that the current system of dementia research is "broken" and needs to be fixed.

Alzheimer's scientists agree that the cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer's patients is caused by loss of brain synapses. Wurtman and others theorize that restoring some of those synapses could provide an effective therapy, analogous to giving L-dopa to Parkinson's patients. Such therapys don't cure the disease but can restore significant brain function, said Wurtman.

Synapses, where information is passed between neurons, play a critical role in learning and memory. Messages travel from a presynaptic neuron to a postsynaptic cell.

In the Brain Research paper, the MIT team reported that rodents given a cocktail of DHA (a type of omega-3 fatty acid), uridine and choline showed a greatly increased concentration of dendritic spines, which receive messages in the postsynaptic neuron. That indicates that synapse regeneration has occurred, which is unusual, Wurtman said.

Synapse regrowth could also prove an effective therapy for other brain diseases, such as Parkinson's, or for brain injuries, he said.

The scientists observed that rodents who received the therapy performed much better on tests of cognitive ability (specifically, navigating a water maze). Sarah Holguin, an MIT graduate student in brain and cognitive sciences, presented those results at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting earlier this month.

Some of the rats in the studies received all three compounds and some received only one. The improvements in synapse growth and cognitive ability were greatest in the rats given all three.

Omega-3 fatty acids are not produced in the body but are found in a variety of sources, including fish, eggs, flaxseed and meat from grass-fed animals. Choline can be synthesized in the body and obtained through the diet; it is found in meats, nuts and eggs. Uridine cannot be obtained from food sources, but is a component of human breast milk and can be produced in the body.

The cocktail of compounds is now in clinical studies in Europe.


Posted by: Emily    Source

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