Individuals with Down syndrome are at a much greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, with inflammation of the brain starting early in life and the risk of Alzheimer's reaching nearly 80% by the age of 60.
The root cause of Alzheimer's disease is unknown. However, its frequency in patients with Down syndrome suggests that targeting inflammation in preclinical models of that syndrome could be an attractive strategy for designing therapies to promote healthier aging.
In one such preclinical model of Down syndrome, administering specialized lipids, known as resolvins, reduced inflammation and prevented memory loss, according to a recent article in Glia.
A moderate dose of RvE1 for 4 weeks in middle‐aged Ts65Dn mice elicited a significant reduction in memory loss, along with reduced levels of serum pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and reduced microglial activation in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice but had no effects in age‐matched normosomic mice. There were no observable adverse side effects in Ts65Dn or in normosomic mice.
"We have an ancient pathway that helps us return our damaged bodies to normal, which is known as the resolution response," said lead author. "In our model, we can now engage this response with the specialized lipids and, in a more natural way, calm down long-term inflammation."
While the Down syndrome model does not produce the same brain 'tangles' that normally would be observed with Alzheimer's disease, constant brain inflammation begins early in life and leads to similar neuronal damage. In humans, long-term inflammation is often seen alongside other indicators of Alzheimer's in the brain, but it is not yet known how these conditions get started.
Chronic brain inflammation typically leads to progressive memory loss. Surprisingly, a sustained treatment regime with the lipid reversed memory loss in the Down syndrome model without having any adverse effects, reinforcing its role as a potential therapeutic.
The tragic progression of memory loss and dementia due to Alzheimer's represents a breakdown of the brain's ability to self-maintain and to limit wild fluctuations in condition. However, self-maintenance can be disrupted by injuries, pathogens and sometimes by aging.
The disruption of self-maintenance can manifest as prolonged inflammation, which can result in devastating effects if left unchecked. Down syndrome is one such condition that can result in this sustained inflammation response.
Typically, the inflammation caused by a disease is resolved by the body naturally. However, when the body cannot do so, long-term inflammation can result. With the body on high-alert but unable to rectify the problem, progressive damage can occur as our normal tissues are caught in the crossfire.
"Our bodies first need to be able to respond to a problem and then have a separate and equally important response to resolve the inflammation mechanism," explained the author.
Gaining insights into the role of inflammation in a healthy brain could bring us closer to identifying key mechanisms in our body that are activated in response to damage and age. Understanding how these mechanisms are activated could allow us to control the balances our bodies must achieve every day, leading to breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and potential new therapies that halt the progression of dementia.
Brevity of inflammation is crucial to healthy healing, and using these naturally produced lipids may be the first step in understanding our body's most ancient system of recovery.
https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2020/03/13/resolving-inflammation-down-syndrome
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/glia.23779
Resolving inflammation prevents memory loss in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
- 1,482 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
AI to predict DNA methylati…
By newseditor
Posted 19 May
Hyperactive platelets from…
By newseditor
Posted 19 May
Chromatin and RNA interacti…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Why patients with ARID1A mu…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Smuggling small molecule mo…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Other Top Stories
Tissue specific activation of AMPK to control metabolic diseases
Read more
How genes involved in neural development can affect body weight
Read more
Liver molecule involved in energy homeostasis identified!
Read more
Loss of transcription factor in satiety neurons leads to obesity
Read more
Role of the GLP-1 after weight loss surgery
Read more
Protocols
Breast cancer-on-chip for p…
By newseditor
Posted 16 May
Methods for making and obse…
By newseditor
Posted 15 May
Mime-seq 2.0: a method to s…
By newseditor
Posted 13 May
Improved detection of DNA r…
By newseditor
Posted 09 May
Single-cell adhesive profil…
By newseditor
Posted 07 May
Publications
A microglial activation cas…
By newseditor
Posted 19 May
An age-progressive platelet…
By newseditor
Posted 19 May
Immunotherapy for colorecta…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Single-cell multiplex chrom…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Autophagy preferentially de…
By newseditor
Posted 18 May
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar