Antihypertensive drugs may protect against Alzheimer's disease

August, 2010

Alzheimer's mice significantly benefited from taking a drug used to treat hypertension.

Two mouse experiments have found that the drug carvedilol, prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, significantly improved synaptic transmission in Alzheimer's disease-type brains, and at a behavioral level significantly improved learning and memory.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-06/tmsh-adm062310.php

Reference: 

[1691] Wang, J., Ono K., Dickstein D. L., Arrieta-Cruz I., Zhao W., Qian X., et al.
(Submitted).  Carvedilol as a potential novel agent for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Neurobiology of Aging. In Press, Corrected Proof,

Arrieta-Cruz, I. et al. 2010. Carvedilol Reestablishes Long-Term Potentiation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 21 (2), in press.

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