Epilepsy drug shows promise against Alzheimer’s

Canadian scientists have found that the epilepsy drug valproic acid minimizes memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

In mice and in cell culture, valproic acid decreased production of amyloid beta protein—a protein in the body that forms amyloid plaques, or tangles, in the brain, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Weihong Song of the University of British Columbia at Vancouver and colleagues report.

Valproic acid treatment significantly reduced plaque formation and improved memory deficits in mice with Alzheimer’s disease, the team reports in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

“We found that if we used valproic acid in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, in model mice, it reduced plaque formation and further prevented brain cell death and axon damage,” Song said in a university release.

“The drug also improved performance in memory tests” performed by the animals, Song added.

“We are very excited about these results because we now know when valproic acid should be administered to be most effective and we now know how valproic acid is working to prevent AD,” Song commented.

“A small human clinical trial is currently underway and we expect results to be available in the next year,” the researcher added.

SOURCE: Journal of Experimental Medicine, November 2008.