Estate Living Magazine Design for living - Issue 42 June 2019 | Page 59

l i v e
If successful, the potential applications are broad. Not only is there
a lack of treatment for cognitive deficits in mental illness, but the
brain improvements suggest the molecules could help to prevent
the memory loss at the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially
delaying its onset. 
camh.ca, @CAMHnews, @CAMHResearch
E
A single dose of these new molecules was administered in preclinical
models of stress-induced memory loss. Thirty minutes later,
memory performance returned to normal levels. This experiment
was reproduced more than 15 times. In another experiment
involving preclinical models of ageing, memory decline was rapidly
reversed, and mental performance was increased to 80 per cent
after administration – essentially reaching levels usually associated
with youth and/or the earlier stages of adulthood. This improvement
lasted over two months with daily treatment.
‘The aged cells regrew to appear the same as young brain cells,
showing that our novel molecules can modify the brain in addition
to improving symptoms,’ says Dr Sibille. ‘We’ve shown that our
molecules enter the brain, are safe, activate the target cells, and
reverse the cognitive deficit of memory loss.’ He expects to start
testing the molecules in clinical research in two years.
exert a therapeutic effect by ‘fixing’ the impairment, resulting in an
improvement in symptoms. The molecules are chemical tweaks of
benzodiazepines, a class of anti-anxiety and sedative medications
that also activate the GABA system, but are not highly targeted.
s m a r t