A nasal spray could revolutionize the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by quickly delivering a brain-boosting drug to improve cognitive function, according to a new study.
The study is the latest in recent years to show promising results for intranasal therapy as a potential treatment. Degenerative brain diseases.
Researchers at the University of Texas Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases conducted experiments in which old mice were given a nasal spray containing tiny lipophilic micelles – oil particles that can carry substances through water.
These discoveries may lead to the development of more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s and related disorders.
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A number of recent studies showing similar results could offer hope to the 6.9 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s.
With the number of people affected worldwide predicted to exceed 78 million by 2030, breakthroughs like this are crucial.
Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
The nasal spray is a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease because it quickly and effectively delivers medication directly to the brain.
Intranasal solutions are Cognitive functionThis was achieved through the development of a type of confirmatory specific antibody (TTCM2) that recognises and binds to a protein only when the protein is in a particular shape or form.
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These aggregates accumulate inside cells, and current treatments are not very effective at removing them or improving cognitive function.
In this case, the antibodies sought out tau, a protein found in neurons in the brain. In Alzheimer’s, excess and toxic tau builds up and tangles with normal tau proteins, impairing a person’s ability to think, feel and remember.
Other diseases progress in a similar way: rare disorders such as Lewy body dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy also share tau-related signatures that lead to brain deterioration.
TTCM2 could block the spread of tau, which was crucial for slowing the progression of the disease.
A single dose of TTCM2 cleared harmful tau, increased key brain proteins, and improved memory in aged mice with tau problems.
Whether this will have the same benefits in humans remains to be determined, but similar studies in China and Spain that have explored the concept suggest there is enough evidence to suggest research is moving in that direction.
This research was supported by the following grants: Alzheimer’s Association,Who Newsweek Reached via email for comment.
You can read the full findings from the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases here. here.
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