Low-dose aspirin hope in battle to beat Alzheimer’s
BY MARK WAGHORN ALZHEIMER’S disease could be treated with aspirin, say scientists.
In experiments on mice, a low dose of the painkiller destroyed rogue proteins that build up in the brains of dementia patients.
These form into plaques, killing neurons and leading to symptoms of confusion and memory loss.
A US research team found aspirin boosts a chemical that helps clean cells – including neurons – of debris, such as the amyloid beta linked to dementia. And they hope further research will create the same results in humans.
Millions of people take a low dose of aspirin to reduce risk of developing dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
It reduces inflammation – the process that triggers most major life-threatening illnesses.
A study by a University of Chicago team found that in mice, aspirin clears amyloid beta from the hippocampus – grey matter that controls memory.
Professor Kalipada Pahan said: “At present, there is no effective treatment for preventing or halting the disease.
“Oral administration of a low dose of aspirin decreased amyloid plaque pathology in both male and female mice.
“This study delineates a new function of aspirin and suggests that a low-dose aspirin may be used in lowering storage materials in Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study was published in the journal JNeurosci.
About 850,000 people in the UK are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.