New treatment for Alzheimer's?

New treatment for Alzheimer's? Scientists at the University Medical Center Göttingen developed a novel vaccine that could not cure Alzheimer's disease, but could stop it.

(07.11.2010) Researchers have succeeded for the first time in developing a vaccine effective in mice. For the approximately 35 million people worldwide, the research results could spark new hopes for effective therapy. As the researchers emphasize, the results could help to develop a vaccine for people in a few years' time. Although Alzheimer could not be cured, but at least stopped. However, doctors warn against it, despite the positive results in „euphoria“ to expire. Too often, patients' expectations and hopes for Alzheimer's researchers have been disappointed in the last decade.

Alzheimer's an organic disease
Alzheimer's disease is an organic disease in the human brain. Alzheimer's is characterized by nerve cells and nerve contact cells slowly but progressively dying. In the brain of Alzheimer's patients, physicians determine the typical diagnostic process for the disease protein deposits. These are considered in the professional world as „Amyloid plaques“ designated. So far, however, it is still unclear whether these plaques are triggers or just a typical symptom. There is still no agreement among scientists on this question. The disease was discovered and researched for the first time by the neurologist dr. Alois Alzheimer. This had first been scientifically studied and described in 1906 the disease. After him the disease was named.

Symptoms of the disease
Visible symptoms of Alzheimer's are memory and orientation disorders as well as a progressive decline of the mind. Complex classification and thought processes are becoming increasingly difficult for the patient. Everyday tasks become increasingly unsolvable for those affected; in the final ward, patients become a regular nursing case. Since Alzheimer's patients are not a homogeneous group, the requirements for medical care, care and care are often very differentiated. Previous skills and deficits also play an important role in the course of the disease. Alzheimer's now affects not only elderly patients. An initial onset of the disease was already observed in 50 year olds.

Actual genesis of Alzheimer's still unresolved
Since it is still unclear how Alzheimer actually arises, there are also different research approaches. The most common assumption is that protein deposits cause so-called plaques in the brain which increase the destruction of nerve cells and synapses. But researchers at the University of Göttingen have doubted for some time that these deposits are actually responsible for this. Rather, a special molecular structure in the brain could be responsible for the onset of Alzheimer's. Thus, the researcher and neurologist Prof. dr. Thomas Bayer from the Clinical Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Göttingen has already predicted on the basis of previous studies that plaques can not even be considered as triggers. Rather, they are a sign of Alzheimer's, but not an origin. For this reason, the research work of the scientists also went in a completely different direction.

Rather, it is believed that special molecular structures in the brain are responsible for the development of Alzheimer's disease. This structure produces a protein called "pyroglutamate-abeta". This protein causes a formation of so-called "oligomers", which clump together and attach to the nerve cells and blood vessels. This negative process gradually damages the brain.

Göttinger Alzheimer research approaches go in a different direction
The main focus of the researchers was now to investigate the formation of so-called "oligomers" in more detail. For attempts to dissolve Einweißablagerungen, so far failed. Older studies have repeatedly shown that the destruction of the plaque had serious consequences. The neurologist Prof. Bayer explained this fact with the fact that these protein deposits seem to be a sort of landfill for poisonous proteins. For this reason, these deposits should also remain untouched in order to protect the brain from even greater damage. The amount of protein deposits can also give no indication of the extent to which Alzheimer's disease has progressed. Study results have shown that the amount is not critical to how advanced the loss of cognitive ability is. Subjects who had a high concentration of deposit deposits were nevertheless able to solve comparatively complex tasks. Others, however, showed severe limitations, although the number of plaques was rather lower.

Stop the formation of toxic deposits of white matter with a passive vaccine
To pursue another strand of research, researchers have focused on preventing the formation of new toxicological deposits of protein. The Göttingen scientists developed antibodies to the named „oligomers“ to eliminate. In an experimental setup, rodents were given appropriate injection of antibodies. "These antibodies are the first in the world to recognize a soluble, particularly toxic Abeta variant, unlike the previous antibodies that were used for immunizations, they do not bind to plaques," explained Prof. Bayer.
By injecting could dangerous „oligomers“ being stopped. Although Alzheimer could not be cured by the vaccine in mice, however, a progression is stopped. Bayer's lead investigator commented on the results: "With this form of passive vaccination, we probably can not achieve any cure, but our research shows that antibodies appear to stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease." According to information, it should be possible to carry out initial studies on humans as early as two years on. For the results of the study could also be applied to humans, according to the researchers in the medical science journal "Journal of Biological Chemistry".

Behavioral hopes despite good results
It will certainly take several more years to develop an effective vaccine. Also, it is not yet clear whether the results lead in the right direction. The Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Charite Berlin warns of a veritable euphoria in the media sheets. Numerous other study results had always made the relatives and affected people courage, but ultimately they were always disappointed. "After all the disappointments that not only we doctors, but also those affected have had to deal with in the last ten years, you have to be cautious for now." so Dr. Isabella Heuser. However, the research approaches are an interesting thrust, even though there is still no hope for healing. Prevention is therefore still the best option. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can be proven to reduce Alzheimer's risk. (Sb)

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