Animal study suggests BDNF protein may slow, stop Alzheimer’s disease.

HealthDay (2/8, McKeever) reported that, according to a study published in the Feb. 8 issue of Nature Medicine, “a naturally occurring brain protein” called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) “appears able to slow or stop Alzheimer’s disease in recent studies done on animal models.” Working with rodents and monkeys, researchers from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine found that when they “injected BDNF in lab animals that either were aged, had entorhinal cortex damage, or were genetically altered to have Alzheimer’s-like symptoms,” the “animals had improved memory and cognitive skills, and…cell degeneration and death was prevented or reversed.” In addition, “the animals receiving the treatment…began producing more BDNF on their own and exhibited better brain cell signaling and neuronal function, whereas the untreated animals degenerated further.” The authors posited that “since BDNF appeared both safe and effective on animal models, it could hold hope for treating Alzheimer’s disease in humans.”