Douglas researchers look at link

Having trouble remembering where you put the keys, or your phone number? You may be one of the 300 000 Canadians diagnosed with Alzheimer disease – a progressive, degenerative brain disorder that leaves patients with diminished mental ability. According to investigators at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, cholesterol is at the heart of this disease. Their recent findings show that blocked delivery of cholesterol to neurons (brain cells) may cause Alzheimer symptoms in some patients.

“Approximately 25 percent of the total amount of cholesterol present in human body is in the brain,” says Judes Poirier, PhD. “It is the building block of neurons and is vital for the maintenance of the cell-to-cell connections that are necessary for brain function. We have demonstrated that apolipoprotein E (apoE), the molecule, which transports cholesterol in the brain, doesn’t function properly in some Alzheimer disease patients. When we increased the activity of this molecule, we were able to reduce the disease progression. This was a very exciting finding and we are currently looking for drugs that will have a similar effect.”

They have taken this discovery one step further, and developed a genetic test to identify which individuals carry the non-functional apoE molecule. Although this finding cannot be used to diagnose Alzheimer disease, it can be used to determine which treatments will be most successful. This individualized medicine strategy is becoming more commonplace with many other diseases and helps patients get the best treatment for their diagnosis.

Poirier and his colleagues are also looking at the role of blood cholesterol. Recent findings have shown that drugs, which lower blood cholesterol, reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer disease later in life. These drugs, called statins, have also been shown to have an impact on disease progression in patients already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“We have recently shown that administration of statins to Alzheimer patients improved symptoms in more than two thirds of the group,” says Poirier. “This is a dramatic effect and there is a lot of interest in the pharmaceutical industry to further develop these drugs.”

“We’ve come a long way in understanding the biology of this disease and it is only through this process, that we can best treat and potentially cure it,” he concludes.

Affiliated with McGill University and the World Health Organisation, the Douglas Hospital Research Centre is one of the largest in the country, with a team of over 60 scientists and clinical researchers and 180 post-graduate students. This team is devoted to understanding the causes of mental disorders – whether genetic, environmental, cultural or social – as well as developing diagnostic tools, treatments and prevention methods.

Source: Christine Zeindler
 

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