Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed in animal models? Study (case.edu)

Article summary

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have found that restoring the brain's energy balance by maintaining proper NAD+ levels can prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's disease in animal models. The study used a pharmacologic agent called P7C3-A20 to restore NAD+ balance in mice with advanced Alzheimer's disease, resulting in full neurological recovery. The findings challenge the long-held dogma that Alzheimer's disease is irreversible and suggest a new approach to treating the disease. The researchers hope to move this therapeutic approach into human clinical trials to determine its efficacy in patients.

Main themes

• Alzheimer's disease research
• NAD+ balance and brain energy
• Animal models and human trials
• Pharmacologic treatments
• Neurodegenerative diseases

What commenters say

• The study's findings are promising, but it is too early to determine whether the treatment will be effective in humans.
• The use of animal models to study Alzheimer's disease is problematic because mice do not actually get the disease, and the models may not accurately replicate the human disease mechanisms.
• Some commenters are skeptical of the study's results due to the potential for bias and the fact that the authors have a patent on the drug being tested.
• The concept of Alzheimer's disease as a distinct entity is questioned, with some arguing that it is a syndrome or a region in a high-dimensional space that is not yet fully understood.
• There is a need for more research into the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and the development of more accurate models to study the disease.
• The potential risks and benefits of using NAD+ precursors and other supplements to treat Alzheimer's disease are debated, with some arguing that they may be beneficial and others warning of potential dangers.
• The fact that many previous studies have claimed to 'cure' Alzheimer's in mice, only to fail in human trials, is cited as a reason to be cautious about the current study's findings.
• The development of new formulations and the potential for method-of-use patents are discussed as ways to profit from existing drugs and drive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.