14 DAY TRIAL // Patients suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease can breathe a sigh of relief. Researchers at the Cambridge-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announce the development of a nutritional supplement that they say improves memory in this group.
What the new drug does is act on synapses, the area of contact between two nerve cells called neurons. Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative form of dementia, acts by reducing the number and quality of synapses, which leads to memory loss and cognitive impairment.
The supplement mixture, which is known as Souvenaid, acts by strengthening synapses, and preventing them from deteriorating. The approach does not work for people who suffer from the late stages of the condition, where the damage is already too severe for the supplement to have any meaningful effect.
The nutritive compound was developed by MIT professor emeritus of brain and cognitive sciences, Richar Wurtman. He says that the mixture contains choline, uridine and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. These are all naturally-occurring compounds, the investigators goes on to say.
“You want to improve the numbers of synapses, not by slowing their degradation – though of course you’d love to do that too – but rather by increasing the formation of the synapses,” the expert adds, quoted by PsychCentral.
Meats, nuts and eggs are the main sources of choline, while omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, eggs, certain seeds, fish oil and so on. The compound uridine is produced in both the liver and kidneys, but it can also be found as an RNA component in several types of foods.
Another interesting aspect of these nutrients is that they are all precursors to a lipid molecule that makes up an important part of neural membranes. If administered together, the chemicals boost the integrity of these membranes, increasing nerve cells' lifespans.
A clinical trial of the new mixture has already been completed in Europe, and full details of how the compounds fared appear in the latest online issue of the esteemed Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
“Memory loss is the central characteristic of Alzheimer’s, so something that improves memory would be of great interest,” comments the director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Jeffrey Cummings.