10.28.2008
Valproic Acid Turns Back Amyloid Formation
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A ray of good news: the sticky substance known as beta amyloid was actually degraded in a recent UK study by Valproic Acid, a treatment usually applied for epilepsy, a disorder of the neurotransmission system.
This was a laboratory study in mice. It looked at the effects of the drug valproic acid (VPA) on the formation of amyloid beta plaques in the brains of mice genetically engineered to develop an Alzheimer’s-like condition (APP23 and APP23/PS45 mice). It also looked at the drug’s effects on brain cells from these mice, and on their ‘memory’ behaviour.
Dr. Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimer's society of the UK, led the study, which now commences to human trials.
Labels: valproic
