New Dementia Treatment May Lead to Alzheimer's Cure

Dementia such as Alzheimer’s is one of the leading reason people need long term care and an important development has occurred as US scientists say they have successfully reversed the effects of Alzheimer's with experimental drugs.  These experiments are in the early stages, but could it could mean helping the lives of millions of people who suffer from needing long term care as a result of this this tragic disease.  

The scientists found that the drugs target and boost the function of a newly discovered gene involved in the brain's memory formation.  This study was conducted on mice and this treatment helped restore long-term memory and improve learning for new tasks.

The drugs used in this study are called HDAC inhibitors and these drugs actually reshape the DNA scaffolding that supports and controls the expression of genes in the brain.  The scientist’s caution that HDAC drugs on humans are at least a decade away but this is definitely promising news.

Long term care is one of the end steps for most people that develop cognitive disabilities such as Alzheimer’s which also has a huge financial consequence.  If a treatment can be developed to stop this tragic disease it will save the lives of millions and reduce the huge financial burden of needing long term care.