THE ESSENTIAL
- Only 1.2 to 2% of Alzheimer’s disease cases are hereditary according to Inserm.
- Before the age of 65, it is very rare to develop this disease, but after the age of 80 the prevalence increases.
1.2 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease in France, according to theHealth Insurance. This neurodegenerative pathology is the most common in France. Out of twenty-five patients, fifteen are women and ten are men according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
No treatment
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers at the University of Texas, in the United States, may have found a new solution to reduce the symptoms of patients: blood transfusions. Their results have just been published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Beta amyloid peptides
The scientists conducted their experiments on mice that had amyloid beta peptides in their blood, which is one of the signs of Alzheimer’s disease. So the researchers wanted to know if changing their blood, thus eliminating beta amyloid peptides, could reduce their Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Spatial memory
On several occasions, the mice therefore had blood transfusions. Results: the development of amyloid plaques was reduced by 40 to 80%. These plaques of amyloid peptides se form around neurons and prevent them, among other things, from functioning properly.
Another benefit of these transplants: the reduction of certain symptoms of the disease in rodents, such as the improvement of their spatial memory.
Treat the disease…
“This article provides a proof of concept for the use of technologies commonly used in medical practice, such as plasmapheresis or blood dialysis, which could “clean” the blood of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and thus reduce the accumulation of toxic substances in the brainexplains Claudio Soto, one of the authors of this study. This approach has the advantage of being able to treat the disease in the circulation rather than in the brain.”.
…a few years from now
The researchers now intend to continue their research in order to eventually be able to offer this solution to patients and improve their quality of life. In fact, the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are loss of memory (recent and old), problems in performing everyday gestures such as no longer knowing how to prepare a meal, disorientation over time and space, mood and sleep disorders, etc.
From here 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s should be more than 2.2 million, or 3.31% of the French population, according to the Fondation Alzheimer.
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