Drugs that quell brain inflammation reverse dementia

Drugs that quell brain inflammation reverse dementia
Dynamic contrast-enhancedMRI (DCE-MRI) scans show that with age, the blood-brain barrier becomes leakier. This dysfunction in shown in both humans and mice. A leaky BBB triggers a cascade of cell death that may be the cause of age-related cognitive decline. Credit: Alon Friedman and Daniela Kaufer

Drugs that tamp down inflammation in the brain could slow or even reverse the cognitive decline that comes with age.

In a publication appearing today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, University of California, Berkeley, and Ben-Gurion University scientists report that senile mice given one such drug had fewer signs of inflammation and were better able to learn new tasks, becoming almost as…

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