foodconsumer.org: Of mice and memory

Of mice and memory
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admin on 07/07/2009 10:56:00
 
By Sheilah Downey
That morning coffee buzz may keep you in the pink.
Promising studies released today showed that aging mice who drank coffee had
improved memories, a finding that scientists hope will lead to Alzheimer's
breakthroughs in humans.
Inspired by a Portuguese study in 2002 which was done on humans, scientists at
Florida's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center said they studied the results of
caffeine on mice to allow researchers to rule out other lifestyle factors.
When mice -- who were bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease -- were
given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day their memory impairment was
reversed, according to the report from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
"The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable treatment for
established Alzheimer's disease and not simply a protective strategy," said lead
author Dr. Gary Arendash. "That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for
most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the
disease process."
Published online today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the study found
that caffeine significantly decreased the hallmark protein for the disease in
the brains and blood of the mice.
Arendash and his colleagues became interested in caffeine's potential after a
Portuguese study done in July of 2002. Published in the European Journal of
Neurology, scientists studied 54 patients and found that those who drank more
caffeine than their counterparts were less likely to develop Alzhiemer's later
in life.
"Caffeine intake was associated with a with a significantly lower risk for
Alzheimer's Disease (AD)," wrote authors L. Maia and A. de Mendonca,
"independently of other possible confounding variables."
The scientists concluded that the study's results "may have a major impact on
the prevention of AD."
Researchers at the Florida ADRC and Byrd Alzheimer's Center hope to begin human
trials to evaluate whether caffeine can benefit people with mild cognitive
impairment or early AD, said Dr. Huntington Potter, director of the center and
investigator for the caffeine studies.