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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A common cholesterol-lowering treatment may one day help improve the memory of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
New research from the American University of Antigua and Florida A&M University reveals the statin drug simvastatin (Zocor) significantly improved spatial memory in mice genetically bred to have a disease similar to Alzheimer's.
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Researchers divided the genetically-bred mice and normal mice into four groups. Half the "Alzheimer's mice" and half the normal mice got a dose of simvastatin for a week; the other half of each group received saline. Every day, the mice had to swim in a water maze and try to reach a platform. On the seventh day, researchers looked at how long it them to find the platform -- a test of their spatial memory.
Results show the Alzheimer's mice that received the statin found the platform, but none of the genetically bred mice receiving saline could. The normal mice on the statin got faster at reaching the platform compared to the normal mice on saline.
Previous studies have found a strong link between memory deficits and high levels of cholesterol in the brain, which suggests the effect of statins on memory may be due to a reduction in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.
The findings from this new report show levels of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were much higher in the brains of the mice that received statin. nNOS leads to increased blood flow and improved circulation to the memory region of the brain. The results suggest increases in nNOS levels in the brain may be important in statin-induced improvement of spatial memory.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Experimental Biology Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 28 -- May 2, 2007
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