Boston, Oct 31 (PTI) Scientists have developed a nutrientcocktail which may slow down cognitive impairment in the earlystages of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers, including those at Massachusetts Instituteof Technology (MIT) in the US, developed a nutrient cocktailaimed at treating what they consider is "the root cause" ofAlzheimer's - loss of brain synapses.
The mixture, Souvenaid, increases production of newsynapses and restores connectivity between brain regions,improving memory and other cognitive functions, 'MITTechnology Review' reported.
Researchers mixed three naturally occurring dietarycompounds: choline, uridine, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.
"All those compounds taken simultaneously boostproduction of phosphatides, encouraging membrane development,which is critical in creating new synapses," researchers said.
In the study, published in the journal Lancet Neurology,patients with prodromal Alzheimer's — the predementia stage ofAlzheimer's with mild symptoms — were given either Souvenaidor a placebo.
Compared to people who drank the placebo, patients whodrank Souvenaid throughout the trial showed less worsening ineveryday cognitive and functional performance andsignificantly less atrophy of the hippocampus, which is causedearly in Alzheimer's by brain tissue loss.
"It feels like science-fiction, where you can take adrink of Souvenaid and you get more synapses for improvedcognitive function. But it works," said Emeritus RichardWurtman, professor at MIT. PTI APA SARAPA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.