Protein found in umbilical cord blood can help stem cognitive decline | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Protein found in umbilical cord blood can help stem cognitive decline

Paris | ByAFP
Jul 03, 2017 03:56 PM IST

A new study has shown that blood from the umbilical cord can help keep the brain healthy and, thereby, contribute in stemming cognitive decline in the elderly.

Lab tests in which elderly mice were injected with a protein found in human umbilical cord blood have thrown up an intriguing target for keeping the brain healthy into older age, scientists said Wednesday.

A new study has shown how blood from the umbilical cord could help keep the brain active.(Shutterstock)
A new study has shown how blood from the umbilical cord could help keep the brain active.(Shutterstock)

The protein of interest, TIMP2, has previously been found to play a role in developing the hippocampus -- the part of the brain that enables spatial navigation and processes memories.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

TIMP2 is plentiful in the plasma of umbilical cords, but levels of it decline with age.

A team led by Tony Wyss-Coray at Stanford University in California injected ageing mice with TIMP2.

The injections boosted activity in the rodents’ hippocampus, and their learning, memory and ability to adapt to new information all improved, notably in their ability to extract themselves from a lab maze.

TIMP2 -- or the brain cells that the protein acts upon -- could be useful targets for drugs to fight cognitive decline among the elderly, according to the study, published in the journal Nature.

Outside commentators said the findings were exciting but a hefty dose of caution was needed.

“The study shows that a human protein can reverse cognitive ageing in mice,” said Jennifer Wild, a researcher in clinical psychology at Britain’s Oxford University.

“This does not mean that the protein can cure dementia or cognitive ageing in humans,” she told the London-based Science Media Centre (SMC).

Alzheimer’s experts said that the success with the lab mice touched on cognitive decline that comes naturally in ageing -- and this is a process that is different from dementia, which is caused by disease.

Alzheimer’s disease sees the gradual decline in the functioning of the brain like memory. (Shutterstock)
Alzheimer’s disease sees the gradual decline in the functioning of the brain like memory. (Shutterstock)

“Although the treatments tested here boosted some aspects of learning and memory in mice, we don’t know how relevant the findings might be to people,” said David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“This research, while interesting, only looked at memory and thinking changes caused by ageing, and not those involved in dementia.”

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting some 47 million people worldwide, and has no cure and no effective treatments.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On