World’s First Breakthrough Drug Prevents Dementia In Sportspeople

World-first breakthrough drug helps athletes and blast victims to halt dementia after multiple head injuries in their career, as per a study at the University of South Australia, published in the journal Scientific Reports. The progression of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in sportspeople (such as boxers, footballers & also military veterans) who sustain repeated blows to the head establishes a well-known link between concussion and neurodegenerative diseases.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with the accumulation of a protein known as hyperphosphorylated tau which affects cognition and behavior.

Head Injury and Dementia

It is reported that people who sustain even one head injury were 25% more likely to develop dementia later in life and the risk increased with multiple traumatic brain injuries. The present study successfully demonstrates the way to block it with a specially developed drug, as tested in animal models.

The study states that the brain releases a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) called substance P in the event of a head injury. This causes abnormal amounts of the tau protein to accumulate inside the neurons (brain cells).

"Tau protein tangles are a feature of CTE, which reportedly leads to memory problems, confusion, personality changes, aggression, depression and suicidal thinking. Our research shows that by blocking substance P with a specific drug, we can prevent the tau protein tangles from developing in the brain and causing neurological problems," says UniSA Emeritus Professor Bob Vink, author of the study.

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The study now anticipates the human clinical trials of the drug. However, it might take long since the present diagnosis of CTE is done only through post-mortem.

Source-Medindia