New Alzheimer's drug repairs brain connections

A new drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease has been shown to repair connections between cells in the brain.

Washington State University (WSU) researchers have been working on a study that showed the treatment dramatically improves the cognitive function of rats with Alzheimer's-like mental impairment.

Joe Harding, a professor in WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, stated it is a "unique" study as it is all about repairing functions within the brain.

"They're not designed necessarily to stop anything. They're designed to fix what's broken. As far as we can see, they work," he said.

Findings of the WSU study have been published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, while funding came from the Edward E and Lucille I Lainge Endowment for Alzheimer's Research, the State of Washington Initiative Measure No 171, the National Institutes of Health and the Hope for Depression Research Foundation.

A team led by Dr Emmanuelle Duron from Broca Hospital in Paris recently found there may be a hormonal link to a person's likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.

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