Scientists Reverse Alzheimer's Memory Loss by Repairing Damaged Synapses

[JudyM]

A groundbreaking study presents a novel Alzheimer’s treatment strategy focusing on memory restoration through the repair of damaged synapses, leveraging the critical role of the KIBRA protein. This approach shows promise in reversing memory loss without directly addressing the accumulation of toxic proteins.

While newly approved drugs for Alzheimer’s show some promise for slowing the memory-robbing disease, the current treatments fall far short of being effective at regaining memory. What is needed are more treatment options targeted to restore memory, said Buck Assistant Professor Tara Tracy, PhD, the senior author of a study that proposes an alternate strategy for reversing the memory problems that accompany Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
…
The work hinges on a protein called KIBRA, named because it is found in the kidney and the brain. In the brain, it is primarily localized at the synapses, which are the connections between neurons that allow memories to be formed and recalled. Research has shown that KIBRA is required for synapses to form memories, and Tracy’s team has found that brains with Alzheimer’s disease are deficient in KIBRA.
…
“We wondered how the lower levels of KIBRA affected signaling at the synapse, and whether understanding that mechanism better could yield some insight into how to repair the synapses damaged during the course of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Buck Staff Scientist ​​Grant Kauwe, PhD, co-first author of the study. “What we identified is a mechanism that could be targeted to repair synaptic function, and we are now trying to develop a therapy based on this work.”

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-reverse-alzheimers-memory-loss-by-repairing-damaged-synapses/

Still early, but another door of possibility. Here’s hoping grant money starts flowing.

[erronis]

1. Thanks, Judy. This seems to dovetail with another article from that publication

https://scitechdaily.com/deaths-riddle-scientists-decipher-the-brains-final-signals/

It appears that areas/layers/regions of the brain can be restored if conditions are resolved (anoxia/oxygen-deprivation for example).

And also today, this article about deciding if the body is really dead - based on brain and heart function:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998174
To quote the first few paragraphs:

I think we had a breakthrough on a very controversial subject over the past month. Over and over again, debates have been breaking out, cases have been going to court, and fights have been coming to ethics committees about brain death. How do we know what brain death is, how do we diagnose it, and what rights do families have with respect to the diagnosis?

The American Academy of Neurology decided to form a task force, and they just issued guidelines on the definition, tests to use it, and the rights of families. Whether you're a neurologist, someone involved in actually diagnosing brain death, or you're dealing with very ill people whose families are trying to direct the kinds of things that you or the nurses can do, these guidelines, I think, are excellent. They did a wonderful job, in my view. They've achieved clarity.

First, they tried to handle both adults and children. Children are, if you will, more difficult — and that's been known — to test for brain death. Their brains are smaller. You get more interference and false signals coming from muscle or nerve activity that might be going on elsewhere in their bodies.

[TheRickles]

7. Here is a fascinating film about a state of consciousness between life and death - dying while meditating.

It's called tukdam by the Tibetans - advanced lamas sometimes die during meditation, but their bodies do not begin to deteriorate for days and even weeks, despite the absence of brain or heart activity. The Western doctors who are investigating it admit that they don't have a clue as to how this might happen.

The trailer is here:

&t=1s

[JudyM]

13. Thanks, erronis, those are both novel and interesting, too.

[StarryNite]

2. This is a big deal and so desperately needed.

Yes, let the funding flow.

[et tu]

3. oh i hope

this gets mega bucks for more research
and it is exciting. such a crippling disease
to the person and their family. I know~

[Native]

4. Finally!

[Oopsie Daisy]

5. Alzheimer's is insidious. I celebrate these advancements *

* but it makes me sad that our family could not benefit from them. The long-goodbye is heartbreaking.

[JudyM]

14. It truly is.

Wonderful but bittersweet at the same time.

[TheRickles]

6. Sounds promising, but just to be clear, this study was done in mice, not humans.

So it's not really Alzheimers, but a form of memory deficit that is hopefully similar enough to ALzheimers that there will be carry-over from mice to men.

[JudyM]

9. Part of the study involved mice, and part involved humans.

The strong correlation they found between level of cognitive decline in human subjects and deficiency of KIBRA found in their brains is, itself, a promising discovery.

Increasing the KIBRA level to see what would happen was done with mice.

Developing a treatment and getting it successfully through Phase 3 clinical studies still needs to happen. But the concept that there is an end-run mechanism around tau buildup broke new ground that researchers can explore.

As I’m reading about this, I’m seeing that recognition of an association between KIBRA and memory has been around for at least 15-20 years (I didn’t look for the first instance, but studies started popping up around then; there was even a study suggesting that chess and science ability might be connected to a particular KIBRA allele!) without much followup progress into how it worked. Looking around online it appears there may even be dietary interventions we can explore, ourselves, for boosting KIBRA though I’ve only just started looking at this…

[TheRickles]

11. Yes, thanks for the clarification.

The correlation between low KIBRA levels and cognitive decline in humans is quite significant, but so far the interventions have only been done in mice. There's a large literature on using functional medicine (esp. anti-oxidants) to prevent cognitive decline, with low-level inflammation seeming to be a likely culprit here, as it is in so many chronic medical conditions.

[JudyM]

12. Yes, I've been reading about saffron and pine bark extract, especially, lately

Both looking interesting….

Functional medicine docs should be far more prevalent.

[Scrivener7]

8. Wow. That's huge.

[TeamProg]

10. Cool, thanks for posting. I'd rather lose my body than my mind to old age. nt