The dangerous disease that affects some 5 million American citizens to date could finally be slowed down or even cured, thanks to progresses made in understanding its causes, announced researchers working with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND). Some proteins have been known to oppose Alzheimer in its early stages, but the roles of fatty acids and lipids have been largely unstudied.
 

The senior author of the study, Lennart Mucke, M.D., director at GIND, said that the current therapy alternatives for this brain degeneration condition were too limited and only alleviated symptoms to a certain degree. With the analysis of fatty acids, the team now hopes to be able to incorporate their finds in new drugs. Some of the fats they've studied showed potential for reducing memory loss and other brain abnormalities, which usually occur during the first stages of Alzheimer.
 

In genetically-engineered mice, the enzyme, dubbed group IVA phospholipase A2 (PLA2), was discovered as being responsible for the release of important quantities of arachidonic acid from phospholipids. By artificially reducing the PLA2 quantities in several lab specimens, the researchers managed to reduce the influence of the disease. Those mice showed fewer signs of memory loss and disorientation and recovered nicely.
 

"Arachidonic acid likely wreaks havoc in the Alzheimer mice by causing too much excitation, which makes neurons sick. By lowering arachidonic acid levels, we are allowing neurons to function normally," explained Rene Sanchez-Mejia, M.D., lead author of the study. Basically, that's the solution to the whole Alzheimer problem, considering that the reason why brain cells degenerate in human brains is that neurons "tangle" with each other.
 

The team admits that they still are some time away from developing a cure that can be tested on people. "Our results have important therapeutic implications because they suggest that inhibition of PLA2 activity might help prevent neurological impairments in Alzheimer's disease. But a lot more work needs to be done before this novel therapeutic strategy can be tested in humans," Mucke concluded.