Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease in which nerve cells (neurons) in a person’s brain and the connections between them slowly degenerate, which leads to severe deterioration in cognitive and motor functions and even communication skills. One of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptides in clusters around brain neurons – peptides that inhibit the activity of neurons and cause their degeneration.
Research work Scientists from the University of Tokyo (Japan) have shown that the hormone oxytocin, which induces feelings of trust and love for another person, can reverse the disturbances in the hippocampus caused by exposure to Aβ.
Researchers conducted a series of experiments on slices of the hippocampus of mice, during which they found out that oxytocin facilitates the course of certain chemical activities in cells (for example, the influx of calcium ions), which are important for enhancing neuronal signaling potential and memory formation, thereby neutralizing the harmful effects of Aβ on synaptic hippocampal activity.
Scientists hope they have taken the first step towards a cure for Alzheimer’s, but there is still a lot of research to be done in animals and then in humans to make oxytocin an effective treatment for dementia.
We expect our work to pave the way for the development of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s dementia. – says Professor Akioshi Saito, one of the authors of the study.
Earlier, “Reedus” wrote about how much omega-3 do you need to maintain mental capacity.
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