Researchers say Alzheimer’s disease is the main cause of people suffering from dementia in old age. In this disorder, brain cells usually shrink and die after a certain point. It affects a person’s ability to function normally as it causes memory loss and changes thinking ability.
The recent study published in Neuropsychopharmacology was conducted only to check how reducing activity of PDE4B enzyme can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
PDE4B enzyme is mainly responsible for the breakdown of Cyclic adenosine monophosphate molecule. This cyclic AMP molecule regulates a range of cellular processes. PDE4B is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have tried to understand if reducing PDE4B enzyme activity can help treat Alzheimer’s disease or not.
Researchers carried out this research on mice by using the findings of an Australian study. They divided mice having Alzheimer’s disease into two groups. In one group of mice they introduced a gene that reduced activity of PDE4B enzyme.
They conducted Barnes maze test to understand the problems related to memory. In this test, researchers noticed that mice with Alzheimer’s disease showed memory deficits. On the other hand, mice group in which the gene was introduced had no problems with their memories.
Researchers also used functional brain imaging to understand the process of glucose breakdown as it is brain’s main source of energy. Researchers observed the breakdown of glucose in the group of mice having Alzheimer’s disease was very low as compared to AD mice group whose genes reduced PDE4B enzyme activity.
Further, researchers looked at gene and protein production in the brain to understand the mechanism. They observed that the brains of AD mice had more inflammation which can also be seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, inflammation was lower in AD mice that had genes that reduced PDE4B activity.
The result of this study shows that reducing PDE4B enzyme activity might help to treat Alzheimer’s disease. This study will definitely help healthcare professionals to treat people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Reference link:
Paul Armstrong et al, Protective effect of PDE4B subtype-specific inhibition in an App knock-in mouse model for Alzheimer’s disease, Neuropsychopharmacology (2024).
