Treatments targeted to enhance brain neurotrophic factor signaling may improve memory functions

Treatments targeted to enhance brain neurotrophic factor signaling could improve memory functions in Alzheimer’s disease even though they don’t alter brain amyloid burden, according to recent research from the University of Eastern Finland. The enhancement of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling alleviated memory impairment in Alzheimer’s mouse models. In addition, the administration of cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) into brain tissue improved long-term memory in particular. Using transgenic APP/PS1 mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease with altered BDNF signaling, the research group showed that memory impairment was aggravated by reduced BDNF signaling and alleviated by enhanced BDNF signaling. “Thus, by enhancing neurotrophic factor signaling it may be possible to improve memory functions without altering brain amyloid burden.”
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