Can Fixing Protein Synthesis Rescue Memory From Alzheimer's?

New research in Science Signaling has identified a potential method for addressing the loss of cognitive function from Alzheimer's disease by targeting protein synthesis in mice using synthetic pharmaceuticals, reports Futurity . "We and others have previously shown that impairments in brain protein synthesis contribute memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease model mice, and that the brains of Alzheimer's patients exhibit clear signs of impaired protein synthesis," explained Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Professor Sergio Ferreira. "We thus asked ourselves whether rescuing brain protein synthesis might be an approach to improve memory function in Alzheimer's disease." The investigators focused on ISRIB, a synthetic molecule that boosts protein synthesis by targeting translation initiation — the translation of genetic codes — and stimulating protein production. They confirmed that key components of the protein synthesis machinery are depleted in the hippocampus of persons with Alzheimer's disease, concluding that protein synthesis may also be impaired. The scientists administered ISRIB to mice with Alzheimer's-like conditions, and memory tests determined that the molecule could revive both memory function and protein synthesis in the hippocampus. ISRIB could restore synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus as well.