Researchers who see that a drug developed for Type 2 diabetes significantly improves memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease, also wants to test on people who are ill.
Treatment is quite exciting for scientists because the process works by protecting the brain cells damaged by Alzheimer's disease in three different ways. "The results have only been observed in mice, but the drug promises hope for patients with chronic degenerative neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's," said Christian Hölscher, principal investigator of the study. Doug Brown of the UK-based Alzheimer's Association said, "There has been no improvement in this area for 15 years. We need to find new ways to deal with Alzheimer's. We should investigate whether drugs developed for other diseases may be useful for people suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. This approach to research can make things easier. "
Earlier research has shown that there may be a link between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's, that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer's, and hastens the progression of the disease. This may be because the insulin does not enter the cells properly. Insulin, known to protect brain cells, is a growth factor. Insulin resistance was detected in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. Therefore, researchers were working on a study of whether the drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes could be good for Alzheimer's symptoms. Liraglutide was reported to be successful in this regard. But the last drug was the first 'triple agonist' drug tested to this time.
Researchers tested Alzheimer's disease-induced mice by altering the gene genetic. Researchers who want to measure the learning and memory formation of mice have found that medicine significantly reduces memory deficits. It has also been shown that the amount of toxic amyloid plaque in the brain of the drug is reduced and the rate of nerve cell loss is slowed down.
There's more time to see if people will have a similar effect in people. "There are a number of comparisons and dose-behavioral interventions to see if this drug is more effective than previous drugs," Hölscher says. Nevertheless, this last drug is a good start for 2018, a very promising result because at least 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2050 this number is expected to rise to 16 million. So it is imperative to find new treatment methods. The research was published in Brain Research.