Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide. Scientists are putting a lot of effort into finding ways to treat or prevent this mind-depriving condition, which has a significant impact on society and the economy. The new weight-loss pill called Wegovy is one of the options being considered.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are also major risk factors for developing dementia, despite the fact that age is by far the most significant risk factor. wegovy and its sister drug, ozempic, enter the image right here.
The medication used to treat type 2 diabetes known as Wegovy and Ozempic both contain the same active ingredient known as semaglutide.
Semaglutide acts in a manner similar to that of the hormone GLP-1, which is normally released from the gut following a meal. while the hormone binds to receptors within the pancreas, it reasons the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar tiers.
However, these receptors are also present in the brain's "reward centers," which include areas that control eating. Considering that semaglutide can cross the blood-mind obstruction (the defensive layer around the cerebrum), it is probably going to straightforwardly alter mind action to cause individuals to feel less ravenous.
a 5-year Danish study discovered that human beings with type 2 diabetes who had been taking semaglutide or liraglutide, any other diabetes medicinal drug, had a decrease danger of dementia. Semaglutide may only be effective against certain types of dementia because type 2 diabetes is more strongly linked to vascular dementia rather than Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
Nevertheless, semaglutide's ability to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in individuals in the early stages of the disease is the subject of two clinical trials that began in 2021. The trials are expected to be finished in 2026 because the disease takes a long time to develop.
It is thought that certain parts of the cerebral cortex, which is where memories and spatial navigation are made, are where Alzheimer's disease starts. However, the absence of GLP-1 receptors in the cortex suggests that semaglutide does not directly activate memory networks. So how should the medication treat the infection.?
The minds of Alzheimer's illness patients collect tacky plaques of amyloid-beta as well as clusters of tau proteins inside synapses. These are remembered to disturb cognizance.
At the University of Oxford, a clinical trial is currently underway to specifically examine tau levels in individuals who have elevated levels of amyloid-beta but have not yet developed dementia. It is trusted that semaglutide will decrease cortical tau levels, prompting diminished paces of mental deterioration.
Amyloid-beta plaques are the target of recently approved Alzheimer's treatment drugs in the United States. However, these medications have generated controversy because they necessitate hour-long infusions for patients every two to four weeks.
These medications probably also target amyloid-beta in the vicinity of blood vessels, resulting in potentially fatal side effects like brain bleeds. Therefore, alternative strategies are desirable, and semaglutide may excel in this area.
Inflammation
Neuroinflammation, a condition in which the brain is chronically inflamed, might be the most important link between semaglutide and reducing Alzheimer's disease.
Both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia are caused by disruptions in the blood-brain barrier caused by neuroinflammation. Additionally, the Oxford trial examining tau is examining the effects of semaglutide on neuroinflammation (suggestions suggest that semaglutide is anti-inflammatory in obese individuals).
Additionally, it restores glucose transport across the blood-brain barrier, which is disrupted in Alzheimer's patients, and reduces neuroinflammation in the brains of mice.
memantine, a drug firstly evolved to deal with diabetes, became repurposed to alleviate alzheimer's ailment symptoms, and it is still prescribed for that purpose these days. We are now eagerly awaiting the outcomes of the next generation of diabetes and weight loss medications to determine whether they can treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Meanwhile, there are way of life transforms you can make to diminish your gamble of fostering the condition. Maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and quitting smoking are all examples of these.
Barbara Sarkany, a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford in Alzheimer's disease, and Tim Viney, a Career Development Fellow at the University of Oxford.
This article is republished from The Discussion under an Inventive Lodge permit. Check out the original piece.
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