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A team of scientists at Texas A&M University say they’ve developed a nasal spray that improves the working memory of older lab mice.
They believe the feat works by reducing markers of inflammation, a common feature of aging brains. And, with many caveats, say they suspect that it could one day be used on older humans, as a non-invasive method to tackle adult-onset brain fog and neurological diseases such as dementia.
The spray is made up of special biological particles derived from stem cells, the scientists wrote in a new paper published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. An estimated 69.2 million people worldwide have dementia, and that figure is slated to increase to 82 million in 2030, making the development of this type of medicine urgent.
“Our approach redefines what it means to grow old,” Ashok Shetty, neuroscience professor and the paper’s principal investigator, said in a university statement about the research. “We’re aiming for successful brain aging: keeping people engaged, alert and connected. Not just living longer, but living smarter and healthier.”
In older people, brain aging manifests in an increase of various inflammation markers in the hippocampus, coinciding with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.
The researchers tackled the issue by developing specialized extracellular vesicles, membrane-bound sacs containing important molecules — such as microRNA in this case — that are derived from neural stem cells. While mRNA carry the genetic codes to make protein, microRNA is used by cells to help them fine tune the production of proteins, and can serve as a therapeutic treatment to reduce inflammation by kickstarting beneficial biological and chemical processes.
For the experiment, the scientists took older mice at 18 months of age — the rough equivalent of 60-year-old human adults — and sprayed into their nose a mixture containing the extracellular vesicles. Compared to mice that didn’t receive this treatment, the brains of these rodents showed reduced markers for inflammation, as well as improved memory and cognitive function.
“We are seeing the brain’s own repair systems switch on, healing inflammation and restoring itself,” Shetty said.
The team is so buoyed by this research that it’s filed a patent for this nasal spray, and hope they can start the process towards a therapy that can also be used on humans.
More on brain and aging: Scientists Find Evidence That Memories in Brain Are Physically Moving Around
