Caffeine is one of 24 compounds IU researchers said has the capability to help protect the brain against dementia.
According to an IU press release, caffeine and similar compounds boost an enzyme, NMNAT2, in the brain that guards neurons in the brain and prevents neurodegenerative diseases.
Hui-Chen Lu, a professor in the Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Science and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, led the study and said the research could develop important drugs and treatments.
“This work could help advance efforts to develop drugs that increase levels of this enzyme in the brain, creating a chemical ‘blockade’ against the debilitating effects of neurodegenerative disorders,” Lu said in the press release.
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s are caused by misfolded proteins which build up in the brain and affect more than 5.4 million. According to the press release, NMNAT2 fights against the misfolded proteins in what Lu and colleagues call a “chaperone function.”
Researchers showed how caffeine increases production of the enzyme and also improves memory.
The research was tested on mice who were genetically modified to produce more misfolded proteins and less NMNAT2.
When caffeine was given to the mice, the rodents began to create higher levels of the protein.
Researchers also found 13 compounds that lowered the production of the enzyme and Lu said that information helps understand the causes behind dementia better.
“Increasing our knowledge about the pathways in the brain that appear to naturally cause the decline of this necessary protein is equally as important as identifying compounds that could play a role in future treatment of these debilitating mental disorders,” she said in the release.
Dominick Jean
