MIT scientists find way to reverse Alzheimer's symptoms

Neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a method to reverse neurodegeneration and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease by interfering with an enzyme typically overactive in the brains of Alzheimer's patients using a new peptide.

Treating mice with a peptide that blocks the hyperactive version of an enzyme called CDK5, researchers found significant reductions in neurodegeneration and DNA damage in the brain as well as improvements in their ability to perform tasks such as learning to navigate a water maze, reports MIT News Office.

"We found that the effect of this peptide is just remarkable," says Li-Huei Tsai, director of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the senior author of the study. "We saw wonderful effects in terms of reducing neurodegeneration and neuroinflammatory responses, and even rescuing behaviour deficits."

The researchers are hoping that this peptide could be used as a treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia with CDK5 overactivation following further testing.