While newly approved Alzheimer’s drugs promise some slowing of the disease’s memory destruction, current treatments are far from effective in restoring memory. A group of scientists from the American Buck Institute for Research on Aging proposes an alternative strategy in this direction.
The researchers focused on a protein called KIBRA, which is found in the kidneys and brain. In the brain it is found mainly in the synapses, i.e. the connections between neurons, which allow the formation and recall of memories. They found that brains with Alzheimer’s disease were deficient in KIBRA. They also found that this protein can reverse the memory impairment associated with Alzheimer’s and that it rescues mechanisms that promote synapse resilience.
The researchers report in The Journal of Clinical Investigation that KIBRA could be used as a treatment to improve memory after the onset of memory loss, even though the toxic Tau protein that caused the damage remains.
“Reducing toxic proteins is of course important, but repairing synapses and improving their function is another critical factor that could help. That’s how I think it’s going to have the biggest impact going forward,” says Buck Institute Assistant Professor Tara Tracy, lead author of the study.
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