Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia associated with progressive decline of a person’s memory and cognitive abilities. There have been intense efforts to find novel treatments for the disease, which has for long been described as incurable. A new study from Japan may be close to achieving this, with study results showing promise with the hormone, oxytocin, in treating the disease.
The primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of a protein called amyloid Beta (Aβ) forming deposits in the nerve cells of the brain, impeding signal transmission and slowly causing irreversible damage to the nerve cells. A group of scientists from Japan found that oxytocin, which is known for its role in stimulating uterine contractions in pregnant women and in stimulating feelings of love and wellbeing, could reverse the effect of (Aβ) on the nerve cells, reversing the cognitive impairment seen in the disease.
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease so patients are treated conservatively. The Japanese researchers hope this new result will open the pathway to new therapies for the disease, which has been feared for decades as an irreversible cause of cognitive decline.
Read more here – https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/archive/20200714_0987.html
