A study by the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC) of the University of Coimbra (UC), coordinated by researcher Ana Ledo, shows that Alzheimer's Disease presents an unregulated production of messenger molecules, which can, in the last case, compromise the energy production in the brain.
The investigation, published in scientific magazine Neurobiology of aging, suggests that, in Alzheimer's Disease, communication between neurons, through synapses, presents failures characterized by the reduction in the production of a special chemical messenger that, unlike classical messengers, moves between cells very quickly.
Ana Ledo explains that «the production of the chemical messenger nitric oxide presents, in Alzheimer's Disease, changes that are very different from those registered in normal aging. In addition to compromising cell-to-cell communication, these changes could decrease the cells' ability to produce energy to support the regular functioning of the brain.”
Nitric oxide, a very simple molecule made up of just two atoms, is essential for memory formation and learning in the hippocampus, the brain area studied by the research group.
However, dysregulation in its production, accompanied by the generation of other chemical species with which nitric oxide can react, can induce molecular and cellular changes that are associated with cell death mechanisms in Alzheimer's Disease.
The “positive” or “negative” roles of nitric oxide thus depend on its concentration in brain tissues, among other things.
In the first stage of the pathology, nitric oxide is produced in large amounts in a specific location in the hippocampus, in order to compensate for communication failures between neurons.
However, disease progression is associated with a reduction in available nitric oxide to mediate the communication process, which may be explained in part by the deviation of its bioactivity. In this context, nitric oxide reacts inside cells, producing molecules with toxic potential.
The researcher argues that "a better understanding of the biochemical, molecular and cellular processes underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease allows the design of new therapeutic strategies, in order to halt the progression of the disease or reverse its symptoms."
The study was carried out in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease that develops, throughout its lifetime, characteristics of the disease similar to those observed in humans. The evolution of the pathology was investigated through observation of hippocampal tissue from young, middle-aged and elderly animals.
The study was financed by FEDER, QREN – Centro Regional Operational Program 2007-2013, with the support of Mais Centro and the European Union and Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme, via the Science and Technology Foundation.
Link to Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458016301129
Author: Cristina Pinto (Press Office – University of Coimbra)
Science in the Regional Press – Ciência Viva
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