The next Alzheimers treatment could come from an unexpected place.
Scientists at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Washington University led the research,publishedWednesday inScience Translational Medicine.
In mice with Alzheimers-like disease, xenon gas was shown to reduce inflammation and the shrinking of the brain.
Xenon is regularly used as an anesthesia agent. But it could also someday become an Alzheimer’s treatment.© Kobus Louw via Getty
The researchers are now embarking on early human trials to further test out the therapys potential.
Xenon gas is already used in medicine as an anesthetic and medical imaging agent.
The researchers tested inhaled xenon on two types of mice designed to develop the brain destruction seen in Alzheimers.
The mice experienced reduced levels of brain inflammation and atrophy, for instance.
Looking ahead, this discovery could pave the way for new possibilities in harnessing xenons potential for brain healing.
It could initiate the door to new treatments for helping patients with neurologic diseases.
So new therapies that can attack Alzheimers from a different angle would be greatly welcomed.
Currently, around 7 million Americans arethoughtto be living with Alzheimersa number that could nearly double by 2050.
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