Victims of Alzheimer's may have new hope with a new study which shows blocking a specific receptor in the brain, the bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R), can reverse the memory and cerebrovascular function for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

According to Parent Herald, the experiment was administered on mice with advanced Alzheimer's, to positive results. The full study can be read here.

"By administering a molecule that selectively blocks the action of this receptor, we observed important improvements in both cognitive and cerebrovascular function," said Dr. Baptiste Lacoste who helped conduct the study at McGill University.

"Alzheimer's disease destroys nerve cells and also compromises the function of blood vessels in the brain. Not only were there improvements in learning and memory, but also marked recovery in blood flow and vascular reactivity, i.e. the ability of cerebral vessels to dilate or constrict when necessary."

Researchers noticed the B1R receptor at an increased level in the brain of mice with advanced Alzheimer's, and its function in neural inflammation suggested a connection between neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's.

"Another interesting result that has not been seen before in our mouse model is a reduction by over 50% of toxic amyloid-beta peptide," said Dr. Hamel. "In Alzheimer's disease, protein fragments called amyloid-beta have a deleterious effect on the blood and nervous systems. Normally, these protein fragments are broken down and removed. In Alzheimer's disease, the protein fragments clump together, a factor believed to contribute to neuronal and vascular dysfunction.

"We are not sure if these decreases contribute to the functional recovery, but we hope that our findings will aid in clarifying this issue and identifying new targets for therapeutic approaches."

With such results, researchers hope to investigate blocking of the bradykinin B1R as a potential therapeutic treatment for humans with Alzheimer's.