Scientists could reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms
A new study suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may not always be permanent. Researchers in the United States report that they were able to reverse severe symptoms of the disease in animal models, restoring memory and brain function rather than simply slowing decline, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing Case Western Reserve University.
For more than a hundred years, Alzheimer’s has been widely seen as an illness that cannot be undone. As a result, most treatments have focused on prevention or delaying progression. According to the researchers, no drug has ever been tested in people with the goal of fully reversing the disease.
The new study focused on a problem linked to how brain cells produce and manage energy. The scientists found that levels of a key energy molecule, called NAD+, drop sharply in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. The same drop was seen in mice engineered to develop the disease.
As people age, NAD+ levels naturally decline throughout the body. When the balance falls too low, cells struggle to carry out basic tasks and eventually fail. In Alzheimer’s, the researchers found this energy imbalance is much more severe.
To test whether restoring this balance could help, the team studied two different mouse models of Alzheimer’s. One model mimicked problem linked to amyloid buildup, while the other reflected damage caused by the tau protein. Both types developed brain damage and memory loss similar to what is seen in people with advanced Alzheimer’s.
The researchers used a drug called P7C3-A20, developed in their laboratory, to help brain cells maintain normal energy levels. When given early, the treatment prevented Alzheimer’s symptoms from appearing. More strikingly, when given after the disease was already advanced, the drug allowed the brain to repair itself.
After treatment, the mice showed major improvements in brain health and fully regained cognitive abilities. Blood tests also returned to normal levels for a marker used in people to track Alzheimer’s, strengthening evidence that the disease process itself had been reversed.
Andrew Pieper, the senior author of the study, stressed that this approach is different from supplements sold to boost NAD+, which can raise levels too high and may be unsafe. The drug used in the study helps cells keep a healthy balance without pushing levels beyond normal.
The team cautioned that the results so far apply only to animal studies. Carefully designed clinical trials in people will be needed to find out whether the same recovery is possible in patients.
The research was carried out by a team from Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Their findings were published online on December 22 in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Alzheimer’s drug could slow disease by 8 years.