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    Home > Biochemistry News > Biotechnology News > Simple strategies to lose weight and delay neurodegeneration

    Simple strategies to lose weight and delay neurodegeneration

    • Last Update: 2022-01-09
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Boosting norepinephrine can reduce neuroinflammatory markers in patients with mild cognitive impairment
    .

    A study by the Emory University Brain Health Center showed that using atomoxetine (a drug used to treat ADHD) to increase the level of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine may prevent early signs of Alzheimer's disease Of people’s nerves degenerate
    .

    The results of the study will be published in the "Brain" magazine on December 17, 2021
    .

    This is one of the first published clinical studies showing a significant effect on Tau protein, which forms neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease
    .


    In 39 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 6 months of atomoxetine treatment reduced Tau protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of study participants and standardized other markers of neuroinflammation


    This study points to an alternative drug strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which does not rely on Tau protein or antibodies to another protein related to Alzheimer's, amyloid
    .


    A recent FDA-approved drug, adacanumab, targets β-amyloid, but its benefits are controversial among experts in the field


    Researchers at Emory University concluded that a larger and longer-term study of atomoxetine's role in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease is necessary
    .


    The drug has no significant effect on cognition or other clinical outcomes, which is expected because of the relatively short duration of the study


    Dr.
    David Weinshenker, professor of human genetics at Emory University School of Medicine and senior author, said: "One of the main advantages of atomoxetine is that it has been approved by the FDA and is considered safe
    .


    " The beneficial effects of Ting on brain network activity and cerebrospinal fluid inflammation markers are optimistic


    "We are encouraged by the results of the trial," said lead author Dr.
    Allan Levey, a professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine
    .


    "This treatment is safe, well tolerated in patients with mild cognitive impairment, and modulates the brain neurotransmitter norepinephrine as we hypothesized


    Researchers at Emory University chose atomoxetine to increase the level of norepinephrine in the brain.
    They believe that norepinephrine can stabilize a fragile area in the brain and resist Alzheimer’s.
    Disease-related neurodegeneration
    .

    Norepinephrine is mainly produced by locus coeruleus, an area of ​​the brainstem that seems to be the first to show pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease-even in healthy middle-aged people
    .


    Norepinephrine is thought to reduce inflammation and encourage garbage removal cells called microglia to remove aggregates such as β-amyloid and Tau


    Weinshenker said: "We found that atomoxetine significantly increased the cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine levels in these patients.
    This seems obvious, but it is absolutely necessary
    .


    For many drugs and trials, it is difficult to prove that the target is involved.


    Weinshenker also emphasized that the trial is based on pre-clinical studies conducted on animal models, demonstrating the potential of norepinephrine
    .

    "The whole idea of ​​using atomoxetine to treat mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease comes from the use of rodents to model and control all aspects of these diseases.
    This is impossible with funding from the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, and private donors," he said
    .


    "Supporting animal research is critical to biomedical breakthroughs in the field of neurodegeneration


    The Emory University study was conducted between 2012 and 2018, using a crossover design so that half of the people in the group received atomoxetine in the first six months and the other half received comfort Agent, and then they changed groups
    .
    Participants who received atomoxetine treatment in the first six months may have sequelae after treatment stopped, so their second six months may not necessarily be pure placebo
    .

    The study participants were all diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, and based on the measurement of Tau protein and β-amyloid, their cerebrospinal fluid had potential markers of Alzheimer's disease progression
    .

    The researchers measured the levels of dozens of proteins in the participants’ cerebrospinal fluid; atomoxetine treatment had little effect on the Tau protein-about 5% in six months-but if it continues, it may It has a greater impact on the pathology of Alzheimer's disease
    .
    There is no significant effect on amyloid
    .

    In addition, among participants taking atomoxetine, the researchers were able to detect an increase in the metabolism of the medial temporal lobe through PET (positron emission tomography) brain imaging, which is essential for memory
    .

    Study participants started with a low dose of atomoxetine and then gradually increased to a higher dose of 100 mg per day
    .
    Participants taking atomoxetine did lose weight (4 pounds on average) and increased their heart rate (approximately 5 beats per minute), but their blood pressure did not increase significantly
    .
    Some people report side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms, dry mouth or dizziness
    .

    The FDA approved atomoxetine for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults in 2002.
    The drug has been shown to be safe for the elderly
    .
    Compared with conventional stimulants commonly used for ADHD, it is considered to have a lower abuse potential
    .

    Looking to the future, nuclear magnetic resonance technology can now be used to visualize the integrity of the coeruleus in living people, so this may be an important part of a larger follow-up study, Weinshenker said
    .
    Recently, the effect of atomoxetine on patients with Parkinson's disease has been studied-patients with reduced locus coeruleus integrity benefit more
    .

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