New Drug Reverses Neural and Cognitive Effects of a Concussion (scitechdaily.com) 21
An anonymous reader quotes a report from SciTechDaily: ISRIB, a tiny molecule identified by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers can repair the neural and cognitive effects of concussion in mice weeks after the damage, according to a new study. ISRIB blocks the integrated stress response (ISR), a quality control process for protein production that, when activated chronically, can be harmful to cells. The study, which was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered that ISRIB reverses the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on dendritic spines, an area of neurons vital to cognition. The drug-treated mice also showed sustained improvements in working memory.
The authors suggest that TBI triggers a persistent activation of the ISR, which in turn leads to the ongoing proliferation of transient spines that fail to support memory formation. Future experiments will explore whether ISRIB has similar effects on other cell types, brain areas, and cognitive tasks. ISR activation has been implicated in many neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Thus, the researchers believe ISRIB may have therapeutic potential in multiple patient populations. While there was no evidence of the drug's toxicity in mice, clinical trials are currently evaluating the safety and effectiveness of ISRIB in humans.
The authors suggest that TBI triggers a persistent activation of the ISR, which in turn leads to the ongoing proliferation of transient spines that fail to support memory formation. Future experiments will explore whether ISRIB has similar effects on other cell types, brain areas, and cognitive tasks. ISR activation has been implicated in many neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Thus, the researchers believe ISRIB may have therapeutic potential in multiple patient populations. While there was no evidence of the drug's toxicity in mice, clinical trials are currently evaluating the safety and effectiveness of ISRIB in humans.
This could be great news ... (Score:2, Funny)
... if you are mouse playing in the NFL.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
... if you are mouse playing in the NFL.
It's the MFL. Jeeze, this guy.
Re: This could be great news ... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Whose job is it to smack mice in the head? I wouldn't want to live within a mile of such a person; they can't be sane. Maybe it's some kind of therapy after being a 4chan bouncer?
Re:This could be great news ... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Human knowledge of mouse health knows no bounds
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After a promising Alzheimer’s treatment (in mice) was reported a few years back, I recall seeing a quote from the lead researcher that they were hopeful, but that there’s something like a 97% failure rate in translating cognitive research successes in mice to humans, so they weren’t holding their breath.
Mice studies remain applicable in many other areas, and even with a 97% failure rate they still remain one of the most useful tools for cognitive studies, but that’s obviously not ide
Re:This could be great news ... (Score:4, Funny)
If your name also happens to be Herschel Walker.
An Effective Treatment Against Rabbits (Score:5, Funny)
Little bunny Fu-Fu could not be reached for comment.
Re: (Score:2)
Herschel Walker could be reached for comment, but the comment was unintelligible. But I guess now there's hope for him.
Re: An Effective Treatment Against Rabbits (Score:2)
I guess they'll name it... (Score:2)
...Unhit with a blunt object.
Tiny molecule? (Score:2)
This one isn't particularly tiny either... For comparison, ISRIB is more than twice the molecular weight of caffeine. Just look at it: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1011240
Not that the relative size of the molecule is relevant to its effect. What a bizarre choice to focus on. I guess when you're communicating science to the general public, you really have to grasp at straws to find relatable adjectives.
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Actually, "small molecule" is a term commonly used in the drug development community. I don't know exactly what they're contrasting it against, though.
OK, a quick search yields "Within the fields of molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (â 1000 daltons) organic compound that ...".
Don't be so quick to jump on terminology just because you don't like it. Your objections. The molecular weight of ISRIB is listed as 451.34. I'm assuming that that'
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Do you also get upset when someone calls Jupiter a "huge planet"?
After all, when compared to you, all molecules are tiny and all planets are huge.
Creatine (Score:5, Informative)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.co... [wiley.com]
https://www.tandfonline.com/do... [tandfonline.com]
https://www.ingentaconnect.com... [ingentaconnect.com]
https://www.futuremedicine.com... [futuremedicine.com]
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.co... [wiley.com]
Not just TBI, but creatine appears to help the immune system (and may be a requirement for a long healthy life)
"We further demonstrated that creatine acts as a “molecular battery” conserving bioenergy to power T cell activities." https://rupress.org/jem/articl... [rupress.org]
Creatine may be the most underrated supplement (almost a nutrient).
New drug for neural and Cognitive effects of a con (Score:1)