By Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui,
A dreaded chronic neurodegenerative disease that most often begins in people over 65 years of age is the Alzheimer’s disease. The signs manifest in people as early as 40 years of age. Though it starts slowly, it continues to worsen over a period of time until the patient succumbs to an increasing loss of memory and bodily functions. The disease attacks the rich and the poor, the famous and the not-so-famous people. Former president of the United States (US) Ronald Reagan was a victim of the disease, which turns life upside down. There is an association with the Alzheimer’s and the accumulation of plaques that affect the neuronal connections in the brain.
A new way to remove the toxic plaques using a non-invasive form of ultrasound has been discovered by researchers at the University of Queensland. Amyloid – B (AB) peptide which is composed of some 36 to 43 amino acids has been the plaque associated with the development and progression of the Alzheimer’s for some time now. Some research into removing this toxic substance from the human brains has been conducted. But it requires almost invasive pharmaceutical intervention which is far from being totally effective.
The University of Queensland research offers a potential non-pharmacological approach to remove the AB plaque. The researchers have claimed to have restored memory function in the brain of a mouse that had AB deposited in its brain and displayed the Alzheimer’s symptoms. An application of multiple iterations of scanning ultrasound to the mouse’ brain was used by the researchers. It did not require the use of any additional chemical agents such as the anti-AB antibody. The microglial cells were activated by the high-frequency sound waves generated by the ultrasonic treatment equipment and consumed the AB plaques. The cells that act as the main form of immune defense in the central nervous system are called the micrologial cells.
The founding director and researcher at the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute, Prof Jurgen Gotz claims that the treatment restored the memory function to the same level of normal healthy mice. The researchers are also working on whether this method clears the toxic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases other than the Alzheimer’s and whether this method also restores the executive functions, including decision-making and basic motor control. For confirmation of the efficacy of the new treatment, the researchers used the spinning disk confocal microscopy and the high dimensional reconstruction to confirm that the ultrasound treatment had significantly reduced the extent of the AB toxic plaques. Prof Gotz and his team of scientists are very excited by this new method of treating the Alzheimer’s without using drug therapeutics. The ultrasound waves ascillate at a tremendous rate and activate the microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy the brain synapses. The researchers are now working on a large ultrasound machine that would allow the new method of treatment to be tested on the brains of sheep before the trials on human beings, which are at least two years away from now.
According to Alzheimer’s disease International, Alzheimer’s affects more than two-thirds of the dementia patients. More than 35 million people in the world are affected by Alzheimer’s. The number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to double by 2030 and more tha triple to 115 million by 2050.
According to Alzheimerindia.org, the first most common sign is the memory loss. The Alzheimer affected patients may forget dates and events and may not be able to recall them later. They start facing problems in solving matters and daily plans. They may not be able to handle calculations and cheque books. The disease needs to be checked before the patients are written off as ‘bad debts’ by the banks and the society.
Turmeric which has been used as a spice in India for over 5,000 years has excellent potential for treating Alzheimer’s. It just does not add a dash to your lip smacking dishes but it also checks the onset of the disease itself. A gram of Turmeric for three months results in ‘remarkable improvements’ in treating the disease. The simple Indian therapy of the yellow spice can make the Westerners green with envy. India has the answer to everything!
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Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui is a senior journalist, political analyst and columnist. He is widely followed in Asia, Africa and Europe.
