New Target for Alzheimer's Drugs Discovered

A team of investigators in the United Kingdom have recently discovered a new type of synaptic interaction in the brain, which may in the near future be designated as a target for drugs aimed at fighting the form of dementia known as Alzheimer's Disease.

The group, which is based at the University of Bristol, explains that synapses are the small spaces connecting two neurons, or nerve cells, inside the brain.

The way synapses work is extremely important for the functioning of the brain as a whole. As electrical impulses travel through neurons, it's the job of synapses to pass them one from one cell to another.

This is done through chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which basically carry electrical potentials through the synapse. A new form of synaptic interaction was recently discovered.

The Bristol group believes that it could represent a new target for treatments against Alzheimer's, a condition that affects millions of seniors around the world.

“Basic research such as this is vital if we want to understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and other devastating brain disorders,” says professor Graham Collingridge FRS.

However, “we are still a long way from finding a cure; more investment in basic research, not less as advocated by Government, is desperately needed,” adds the expert, who is also the director of the MRC (Medical Research Council) Center for Synaptic Plasticity.

The expert explains that the Bristol team mainly focused on NMDA receptors, which are basically the chemicals that control a property of synapses called plasticity.

This is one of the most important neurochemical foundations that learning and memory have in the human brain, experts say.

In Alzheimer's disease, the NMDA receptors are over-activated, which leads to neurological dysfunctions. Experts look for such damage when assessing whether a patient has the condition or not.

At this point, combating the disease is done through drugs that either inhibit the function of NMDA receptors, or that stimulate the actions of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

The Bristol group managed to discover a new interaction taking place in the brain, between NMDA receptors and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR).

Activating this particular class of receptors can depress NMDA levels, essentially reducing the risk of damage. This conclusion could lead to the development of new therapies against the condition.

Details of the new work appear in the latest issue of the esteemed scientific journal Nature Neuroscience. The team was led by UB Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry professor Kei Cho.