Drug for Common Liver Condition May Be an Effective Treatment for Dementia

U.K. research published in Neurobiology of Disease indicates that a drug used to treat cirrhosis of the liver may effectively treat a form of dementia and motorneuron disease, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers used brain cells from fruit flies and rats to model the neurodegeneration process in people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and noted that ursodeoxycholic acid boosts the expression of neuron-protecting proteins. The University of Sheffield's Ryan West acknowledged that the drug was effective against FTD and motorneuron disease in lab models, but stressed that "it does not rectify the underlying deficits, suggesting that the drug is neuroprotective but not a cure." The University of York's Sean Sweeney nevertheless explained that "we are on the cusp of being able to 'repurpose' a drug used for a liver complaint, that has very little toxicity in humans. The mechanism of action for this drug is currently unknown and the work we will now do to increase our understanding of how it works may help us lengthen and improve the lives of patients with FTD and potentially other neurodegenerative conditions too."