Japanese researchers have succeeded in restoring neuronal communication in several mice using oxytocin, the love hormone.
- In France, it is currently estimated that 900,000 people are affected, but 225,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
- Researchers suggest oxytocin may reverse some damage caused by buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain
- By injecting this hormone into the hippocampus of mice, they managed to improve neuronal signaling
A complex neurodegenerative pathology, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a slow degeneration of neuronal connections, starting in the hippocampus (a brain structure essential for memory) then spreading to the rest of the brain.
In France, it is currently estimated that 900,000 people are affected, but 225,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Its prevalence is such that the World Health Organization (WHO) fears a sharp increase in cases worldwide by 2050 with 152 million people suffering from dementia, against 50 million today.
The love hormone as a treatment
Faced with these forecasts, researchers are working to find a treatment for this disease, which until now was incurable. A recent study conducted by Tokyo University of Science (Japan) suggests that oxytocin, a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland known for its role in childbirth, breastfeeding, social bonding, or more commonly known as the “love hormone”, could reverse some damage caused by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain.
Naturally present in the brain, the ß-amyloid protein can accumulate under the influence of certain genetic and environmental factors, which forms amyloid plaques and induces toxicity for the nerve cells which will die very slowly, until causing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Improve neural signaling
The researchers began by injecting the ß-amyloid protein into the hippocampus of several mice and observed a decline in neuronal signaling, that is to say communication between neurons. They then injected oxytocin into that same brain area and observed that neuronal signaling increased again, suggesting that this hormone may reverse impaired synaptic plasticity.
“This is the first study in the world showing that oxytocin can reverse β-amyloid protein-induced alterations in mouse hippocampus.”, says Professor Akiyoshi Saitoh, who led the study. Although these results bring new understanding to researchers, further studies are still needed to dig deeper into the subject. “We hope our findings will open a new therapeutic avenue for dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease..”
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