A recent study from the University of British Columbia has revealed that a certain antibiotic can at least partially restore communication between brain cells in areas damaged by Alzheimer’s diseases plaques.
If the findings are accurate, it could mean that medical science has taken another step toward the complete treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Though the discovery is only a possible treatment that could aid in part of a complex system of ailments that cause the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the restoration of cell communication is key to continuing Alzheimer’s treatment research.
Amyloid Plaques and Antibiotics
A protein called Amyloid precursor protein (APP) exists commonly throughout the human body. Ordinarily, the protein is processed to perform a host of functions in the body and brain. However, the amyloid hypothesis posits that a fault in the processing of APP causes the body to produce short fragments of APP called beta-amyloids mistakenly.
Fragments of beta amyloid clump together to form amyloid plaques. The plaques cause the destruction of nerve cells that usually lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
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| Amyloid plaque diagram. Source: nih.gov |
How Does it Affect the Brain?
Amyloid plaques appear in the brains of patients who have Alzheimer’s disease. The plaques block the communication between cells and damage nerve cells. The glutamate-heavy environment that enables communication in these areas of the brain becomes disrupted in the presence of plaque.
What Can Antibiotics Do to Help With Alzheimer’s Treatment?
Glial cells that support various functions in the brain cannot remove glutamate around plaque, which causes it to accumulate. However, the antibiotic Ceftriaxone enabled researchers to regulate glutamate transport better by restoring it to normal levels in the brain. Once glutamate levels returned to near normal, neuron activity also revived.
Ceftriaxone’s chief use is as an antibiotic administered pre-surgery to protect against infections. Its application as a cellular communication enhancement agent was previously unknown.
The Future of Alzheimer’s Treatment
The breakdown of communication caused by amyloid plaques is a symptom that appears in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It precedes detectable memory impairment, one of the major signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s.
With an early-stage Alzheimer’s treatment in hand, researchers may be able to intervene with treatment for patients early enough to prevent or delay memory loss and major neuron damage.
While most Alzheimer’s treatments currently aim to combat the symptoms of the disease, the discovery of this effect of Ceftriaxone may lead to the advent of one of the first Alzheimer’s treatments available to work on the cause of the disease. However, it will still be limited to use as a treatment only in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, a state which is currently difficult to detect or diagnose.
