An experiment with mice has revealed that raising the levels of the protein Clotho can protect us against the learning and memory deficits caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The research has been developed by a team of scientists from the Gladstone Institute and the University of California in San Francisco (USA) and has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience .
The Cloto protein naturally decreases with age and with it our cognitive capacity; however, its relationship to aging-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease was not yet clear.
To test this protective ability of the protein Clotho , the scientists created a genetically modified mouse model to develop Alzheimer’s but with the ability to produce higher levels of this protein throughout the body. The result was that the cognitive deficit and abnormal brain activity that usually occurs with the disease improved substantially. The effect of the protein was powerful enough to counteract the effects of Alzheimer’s-related toxins even though the levels of beta amyloid peptide and Tau protein remained unchanged.
“It is remarkable that we can improve cognition in a diseased brain despite the fact that it is riddled with toxins. In addition to making healthy mice smarter, we can make the brain more resistant to Alzheimer’s-related toxicity . Without having to target the complex disease itself, we can provide greater resilience and enhance brain functions, ”explains Dena Dubal, leader of the study.
The next step in the research will be to identify and test substances that can abnormally raise Clotho levels or mimic its effects in the brain in order to counteract any type of cognitive disorder in humans , including Alzheimer’s disease.
