The antibiotic rifampicin treats c9orf72-related dementia in mutant mice

Scientists at Osaka City University have taken a major step forward in preventing ALS and another brain disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), by studying the effects of the antibiotic rifampicin in genetically modified mi.

"The main cause of temporal lobe dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in the noncoding region of the C9orf72 gene," said lead researcher Professor Takumi Toya.

Rifampicin is an antibiotic that slows down the production of bacterial RNA; it is usually given with other antibioti.

The results showed that intranasal rifampicin treatment significantly improved cognitive function and memory in mi.

The study is the latest in a series of articles by researchers about the effects of rifampicin in the prevention of neurological disorde.

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C9orf72 Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion-Related Neuropathology Is Attenuated by Nasal Rifampicin in Mice