(Kashmira Gander/ Newsweek) — Aspirin could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, a new study has suggested.
Currently, the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, and researchers are scrambling to find a way to prevent and treat the most common form of dementia.
The research hones in on how the body deals with amyloid beta. Scientists believe the build-up of this plaque in a part of the brain called the hippocampus could lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists therefore want to understand whether helping the brain to clear amyloid beta could slow the development of the disease.
Previous studies have suggested taking aspirin could reduce the risk and prevalence of Alzheimer’s. Building on this research, the team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago tested the common drug in mice with a condition comparable to Alzheimer’s in humans.
Aspirin is currently used to treat fever and ease mild to moderate pain. It is also prescribed in low doses to prevent blood clots that can cause strokes and heart attacks.
The researchers behind the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, investigated how aspirin affects the part of animal cells that clears cellular debris like amyloid beta. Known as lysosomes, these organelles contain a range of enzymes capable of breaking down molecules. This process, known as cellular homeostasis, helps to regulate enzymes that degrade cells. In turn, lysosomes which don’t do their job properly have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders. (…)