Pilot Study Suggests Promising Treatment for Cognitive Improvement in Alzheimer's Risk Group
A new pilot study known as STAMINA (Senolytics To Alleviate Mobility Issues and Neurological Impairments in Aging), that focused on the effects of senolytic medications, Dasatinib and Quercetin (DQ), which remove old (senescent) cells from the body, suggests that intermittent treatment may hold promise for improving cognitive function in older adults at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Published in the eBioMedicine journal, the research explored the effects of DQ on cognition and mobility in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and slow gait, which are conditions linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Over 12 weeks, 12 participants took a combination of Dasatinib (100mg) and Quercetin (1250mg) for two days every two weeks. Researchers observed a statistically significant increase of 2.0 points in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in participants with the lowest baseline scores, hinting at potential cognitive benefits. Additionally, reductions in the inflammatory chemical called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) correlated with cognitive improvements, suggesting that senolytics might enhance cognitive function by reducing inflammation.
The results showed an improvement in cognitive scores, particularly among participants with the lowest baseline cognitive function and a reduction in a key inflammatory chemical in the blood associated with cellular aging.
The team then concluded that these results are promising, but this is a very small pilot study and that they do not know if these findings occurred just by chance. Additional research is needed to confirm these preliminary benefits and further explore the therapeutic potential of senolytics.
Ref: A pilot study of senolytics to improve cognition and mobility in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Millar, Courtney L. et al. eBioMedicine, Volume 113, 105612
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