An injection is having a huge effect on Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Researchers at a private clinic in Los Angeles have been injecting an anti-arthritic drug into the spinal column of Alzheimer’s patients and have seen remarkable improvements in their symptoms.
Scientists at the Institute for Neurological Research have treated around 50 patients by injecting an anti-arthritic drug, etanercept, into the spinal column in the neck and then tilting the patients so the drug flows to the brain.
Evidence of vast improvements
They claim that 90% of the patients respond to the treatment, usually within minutes.
The researchers injected etanercept between the cervical vertebrae at the back of the neck, just below the skull, directly into the spinal column. They tilted the patients to encourage the drug to cross the blood-brain barrier.
The lead researcher, Professor Edward Tobinick, said “What we see is an improvement in ability to think and calculate, memory improves, verbal ability improves, they find words easier, they seem happier and we often also see an improvement in gait in patients whose gait is affected.”
The clinic released a video showing a nurse with an 82-year-old patient, Marvin Millar, who frowns and mumbles incoherently when she asks him identify objects such as a bracelet and a pencil.
Five minutes after receiving the injection of etanercept he greets his wife. Visibly shocked, his wife says he has not recognized her for years.
I couldn’t find that video anywhere on their website but they posted this video of Mr. Millar’s wife. She describes his improvements, saying he makes sense 90% of the time, compared with never before treatment started.
Of course, this study has been tried on relatively few patients and no controlled studies, testing against placebos, have been done. So it’s too early to declare this treatment a victory in the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
If you want more details, here’s a couple of news stories that cover this as well:
And thanks to my friend Mac MacLaren for pointing me to this story. It’s a noteworthy step in Alzheimer’s research.
I know there’s not an absolute cure for this devastating disease or a way to avoid it. But I like to encourage people to give their brain a workout. Keep it active and stimulated because neurologists have proven that we continue to develop new neural connections which might help to keep our minds healthy.
If you want to play some brain stimulating games, visit our web site, Brain Games Software.
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