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Brain Injections May Be Way to Stop Alzheimer’s
Plaque
April 18, 2005 – In a report being released today,
researchers will report encouraging success in reducing beta-amyloid
plaque - a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease – by the
injection of anti-beta-amyloid that inhibited the development of the
plaque without producing the serious side-effects seen in prior attempts
at immunization.
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An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s
disease, and this figure may increase to as many as 16 million by the
year 2050. While there is currently no cure, finding a treatment that
could delay the onset or progression of Alzheimer’s disease may prolong
the life of those with the disease and perhaps eventually decrease the
number of individuals affected.
The proliferation of beta-amyloid plaque is
considered a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Beta-amyloid
protein accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease,
activating immune cells that try unsuccessfully to remove it. That
triggers the release of poisons that eventually kill nerve cells,
leaving behind a trail of plaques and tangles -- the remains of nerve
cells and fibers, clogged up with beta-amyloid.
Neurosurgeons recently conducted studies to
determine whether the intraventricular injection of anti-beta-amyloid
would inhibit the development of amyloid plaques without producing
inflammation or hemorrhage. The study, "Intraventricular Passive
Immunization against beta-Amyloid as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
in Transgenic Mice," will be presented by Terry Lichtor, MD, PhD from
3:00 to 3:15 p.m. on Monday, April 18, 2005, during the 73rd Annual
Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in New
Orleans. Co-authors of the study are Neelima B. Chauhan, PhD, and George
J. Siegel, MD.
Researchers have previously demonstrated that
antibodies injected into this region of the brain easily reach crucial
areas affected by Alzheimer’s disease, but not without serious side
effects. Removal of excessive cerebral beta-amyloid has been shown to be
effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, but systemic passive
immunization against beta-amyloid has been shown to be associated with
serious inflammation problems secondary to antibodies reacting to beta-amyloid
in normal structures, such as in blood vessels.
In this study, the injections were done in mice
genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s disease at both an early
and late stage of the disease. The results demonstrate that a single
intraventicular injection of antibodies against beta-amyloid
substantially reduced the amount of amyloid in the brain by
approximately 70 percent, even in those animals with a relatively severe
stage of the disease. The results also showed that associated
inflammatory responses in the brain were reduced. Furthermore, there was
no sign of serious inflammatory problems like meningoencephalitis or
perivascular hemorrhage, which were seen in earlier studies when similar
antibodies were injected systemically, such as with intranasal methods
of delivery.
The outcome of this study suggests that periodic
intraventricular administration of antibodies against beta-amyloid is a
potentially useful method for rapid reduction of both pre-existing
amyloid plaques and associated inflammation. In addition, this method of
passive immunization may be safer than other methods used because there
were no associated inflammatory side effects in the brain.
“The data reported in this study provide strong
support for a new approach in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using
a strategy involving injection of antibodies into the brain, without the
serious side effects implicated in prior immunization strategies,” said
Dr. Lichtor.
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and
educational association with over 6,800 members worldwide. The AANS is
dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to
provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All
active members of the AANS are Board-certified by the American Board of
Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Canada, or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C.
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