AUSTRALIAN scientists believe they have cracked the code to preventing dementia by restoring the decaying brain cells of a 65-year-old to the levels of an 18-year-old.
The research, presented to pharmaceutical chiefs at a closed event last week, offers new hope for the 200,000 Australians suffering dementia – a group of degenerative brain disorders that includes Alzheimer's disease.
The scientists have developed two ways to stimulate stem cells and regenerate the brain, boosting mental functions such as understanding and memory.
Leading stem cell scientist Dr Rod Rietze and his team at the University of Queensland believe increasing the number of stem cells in young and middle-aged brains will help stave off dementia.
"The idea is not to transplant anything – but to stimulate what we have got," Dr Rietze said.
"The job of the stem cell is to do two things: keep the body functioning and regenerate the tissue.
"It makes sense that if you increase the regenerative cells, the brain lasts longer."
Dementia is a major health burden, costing more than $1.4 billion per year – a figure that is expected to blow out due to a rapidly ageing population and longer life expectancies.
As people get older, the number of stem cells in the brain decreases rapidly and brain function deteriorates.
Dr Rietze's first approach to turning back the ageing clock involves injecting growth hormones directly into the brains of mice.
The second approach involves using physical exercise on a treadmill to trigger stem cells to multiply naturally and improve brain function.
"When people do regular exercise, they age better," Dr Rietze said. "There is a correlative relationship."
Dr Rietze and his team believe sustained physical activity may prevent or delay the onset of age-related dementia as much as injecting growth hormones, restoring stem cell levels of a 65-year-old back to that of an 18-year-old.
The scientist, who funded his team's radical research with a $1 million Pfizer Fellowship he won in 2004, has submitted his work to international medical journals.
"I think really the next step is to design treatment strategies, and the prevention of diseases," he said.
By Clair Weaver
Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22854728-2,00.html
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