An experiment on mice has opened up a new avenue of research in tackling diseases like Alzheimer’s. This is a study led by a group of scientists in Europe and the United States who managed to stimulate memory in mice and report their results in the journal Nature. As they explain, the answer may lie in a simple protein.

Alzheimer’s has a long way to go.
Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects millions of older people and, given the scientific interest, little is known about it. One of its most distinctive features is that it upsets the memory of patients. Therefore, this study offers important hope.

The team of researchers was able to improve memory in older mice (20 month old mice) after injecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from younger mice (10 weeks). They confirmed that the mice that received the transfusion responded better to the proposed stimuli.

CSF is an important fluid for the brain and its development.
CSF, also called cerebrospinal fluid, is the fluid in which the brain is “submerged”. It is the main organ responsible for supplying (along with blood) the nutrients it needs. It also affects its development and growth, although its role in the aging of the organ is not clear.

The composition of CSF changes with age, as it is all about development. Some proteins involved in this growth and development disappear and are replaced by other molecules that make up the liquid.

All thanks to a simple protein.
After confirming the effect of CSF in aged brains, the team sought to find out which component was responsible by finding the protein Fgf17 (for Fibroblast Growth Factor 17). They found that not only did the protein have a positive effect on brain activation in aged mice, but its blockade was also detrimental in younger mice.

The Fcf17 protein is one of 23 known molecules that make up the family of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). These are complex molecules involved in the normal development of animal cells, among other functions.

Promising results like many others.
As researcher Jesús Ávila explains to the newspaper El País, while the results are encouraging, experts recommend caution as it is common for Alzheimer’s-related discoveries in mice to fail to transfer to humans. There are many open paths for now, but we still do not have a cure for this disease.

Image | Vlad Sargo