Caffeine could become a weapon against Alzheimer’s, according to a new study that suggests it can slow the progression of the disease in its early stages. Previous research already indicates that moderate caffeine consumption may protect against age-related cognitive decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Caffeine could become a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
In a recent study in the journal Brain, researchers from the Lille Neuroscience and Cognition research center investigated the mechanisms involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They discovered that a pathological increase in caffeine target receptors in neurons during the evolution of the disease can lead to the destruction of synapses and the early appearance of memory disorders in animal models of the disease, reports AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by disturbances in memory, motor functions and orientation in time and space.
In 2016, the same research team described one of the mechanisms by which caffeine can block in animals the same receptors, whose expression is abnormally increased in the brains of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“We can thus imagine that by blocking those receptors, whose activity is increased in Alzheimer’s patients, caffeine can intervene in the development of memory disorders or even other cognitive and behavioral symptoms“, said David Blum, director of research at the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), one of the coordinators of the new study.
A phase 3 clinical trial at Lille University Hospital involving 248 patients is testing the effect of 400 mg of caffeine versus placebo on cognitive functions in people with early or moderate forms of Alzheimer’s disease. The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate how caffeine influences the cognitive functions of patients with early or moderate forms of Alzheimer’s disease.
“If the study is positive, it will encourage us to launch a larger study. This could mean that the studied substance, caffeine, can be used as a medicine to treat this disease“, stated David Blum.
