Latest news with #JonathanKipnis
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New "Brain Cleaning" Technique Improves Memory in Aging Mice
A team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that accelerating the brain's waste removal system could have tremendous implications for our memory. As detailed in a study published in the journal Cell last week, the team found that by boosting the natural process of the brain cleansing itself of waste, they were able to improve memory in older mice. Around a decade ago, scientists found that as the brain ages, a network of vessels surrounding it, known as the meningeal lymphatics, starts to slow down. The system drains fluid and waste into the body's lymph nodes, where immune system cells constantly monitor for signs of disease or infection. But when it's impaired enough due to old age, the brain's resident immune cells, called microglia, have to jump into action instead, which can tax and overwhelm the brain. By targeting the meningeal lymphatics, the researchers are hoping to overcome a major hurdle for other therapies designed to battle age-related cognitive issues and neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Unlike therapies that struggle to get past the blood-brain barrier, this latest approach targets areas outside of the brain to gain access. "The physical blood-brain barrier hinders the efficacy of therapies for neurological disorders," said Washington University pathology and immunology professor Jonathan Kipnis in a statement about the research. "By targeting a network of vessels outside of the brain that is critical for brain health, we see cognitive improvements in mice, opening a window to develop more powerful therapies to prevent or delay cognitive decline." In an experiment, the team placed two identical black rods in a cage with old mice to let them play with them. On the next day, the same mice received one of these rods, as well as a silver rectangular prism. The idea is that older mice will spend roughly the same amount of time playing with either type of object, while younger mice will be more drawn to the novel trinket. The team then used a treatment to boost the growth and function of the lymphatic vessels in some of the old mice. As a result, the researchers observed that they were spending more time playing with the shiny new object — suggesting their memory had improved, compared to other old mice that didn't receive the treatment. "A functioning lymphatic system is critical for brain health and memory," said first author and Washington University postdoctoral fellow Kyungdeok Kim in the statement. "Therapies that support the health of the body's waste management system may have health benefits for a naturally aging brain." The team suggests that the meningeal lymphatics treatment led to a reduction in the production of an immune protein called interleukin 6 (IL-6), which has previously been shown to affect brain health. While plenty of work remains before we can demonstrate that the same approach could work in humans as well, the researchers are hopeful of discovering new ways to slow down the naturally aging brain. "Targeting the more easily accessible lymphatic vessels that are located outside the brain may prove to be an exciting new frontier in the treatment of brain disorders," Kipnis said. "We may not be able to revive neurons, but we may be able to ensure their most optimal functioning through modulation of meningeal lymphatic vessels." More on neurodegenerative diseases: Ozempic-Style Drug Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease, Experiment Finds
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Clearing Brain Waste Dramatically Improves Memory in Aging Mice
As we get older, the essential cleaning processes that our brains need to keep functioning start to break down and fail. In new research, scientists have figured out how to boost waste removal cycles in the brains of mice – with dramatic effects on their memory. Led by a team from Washington University in St. Louis, the research focuses on vessels around the brain called meningeal lymphatics, the brain cleaners in chief. These vessels are part of the larger lymphatic system in the body, responsible for waste disposal and helping the immune system. The researchers used a targeted protein treatment on older mice to help these meningeal lymphatics grow and operate. In subsequent experiments, the treated mice were shown to have improved memory function compared to untreated animals. There's a clear link to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's here, conditions in which aging brains lose memory functions and cognitive abilities. This new work could potentially offer some clues as to how to slow down or prevent dementia. "A functioning lymphatic system is critical for brain health and memory," says neuroscientist Kyungdeok Kim, from Washington University in St. Louis. "Therapies that support the health of the body's waste management system may have health benefits for a naturally aging brain." The team also discovered that the protein interleukin 6 is used as a kind of distress signal by overwhelmed immune cells called microglia – a distress signal that's sent out when the brain's cleaning apparatus gets overwhelmed. As well as boosting the mice's memory, the lymphatics treatment reduced interleukin 6 levels, restoring order to this part of the immune system and preventing some of the damage in the brain caused by stressed microglia. Another important aspect of the research: the meningeal lymphatic vessels are just outside the brain, so they can be targeted without the complexity of having to get through the blood-brain barrier that helps keep the brain protected. "The physical blood-brain barrier hinders the efficacy of therapies for neurological disorders," says neuroscientist Jonathan Kipnis, from Washington University in St. Louis. "By targeting a network of vessels outside of the brain that is critical for brain health, we see cognitive improvements in mice, opening a window to develop more powerful therapies to prevent or delay cognitive decline." These are all important insights into how normal brain communication networks get disrupted when toxic material isn't cleared away, and allowed to build up. It's not unlike trash building up on railway lines and stopping trains from traveling. The new findings fit in neatly with previous research too, including a 2022 study in which mouse memories were boosted through injections of cerebrospinal fluid – the same fluid meningeal lymphatic vessels clean waste from. "We may not be able to revive neurons, but we may be able to ensure their most optimal functioning through modulation of meningeal lymphatic vessels," says Kipnis. The research has been published in Cell. Night Owls Face Higher Depression Risk. A New Study Explains The Link. Drug For Rare Disease Turns Human Blood Into Mosquito Poison Pig Liver Successfully Transplanted Into Human Patient in World First
