Promising treatment for dementia
Sodium selenate slows behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia -
- second most common dementia in under 60s
Date:
May 5, 2022
Source:
Monash University
Summary:
A new study has found a promising new treatment for patients with
behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia, the second most common
form of dementia in the under 60s -- resulting in a stabilizing of
what would normally be escalating behavioral issues, and a slowing
of brain shrinkage due to the disease. It is the second clinical
trial to show that the drug, sodium selenate, may slow cognitive
decline and neuro- degenerative damage that is the hallmark of
many dementias including Alzheimer's Disease.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A Monash University led study has found a promising new treatment for
patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of dementia in the under 60s -- resulting in a stabilising
of what would normally be escalating behavioural issues, and a slowing
of brain shrinkage due to the disease. It is the second clinical trial
to show that the drug, sodium selenate, may slow cognitive decline and neurodegenerative damage that is the hallmark of many dementias including Alzheimer's Disease.
========================================================================== Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a rapidly
progressing destructive disease and can occur in people as young as
35 years of age. It is characterised by behavioural disturbances and personality changes and can be highly disruptive and distressing for
both patients and their families.
Currently there are no treatments or cures for bvFTD and typical survival
is 5- 7 years from diagnosis.
The Phase 1 trial run in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne
Hospital, the only one in Australia targeting non-genetic bvFTD,
and one of a handful worldwide, showed that the drug, sodium selenate
is safe and well-tolerated in patients with bvFTD over a period of 12
months. Importantly, the majority of patients receiving sodium selenate
showed no change in their cognitive or behavioural symptoms, and reduced
rates of brain atrophy over the trial period.
The results from the trial, led by Dr Lucy Vivash, from the Monash
University's Department of Neuroscience, have just been published in the journal, Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.
In almost half of the cases with bvFTD, the damage to the neurons in the
brain is caused by the build-up of a protein called tau. This protein is a major target for research in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's
and other dementias, as a way to reverse the neurodegeneration caused
by this tau accumulation.
According to Dr Vivash, sodium selenate upregulates an enzyme in the brain
that effectively breaks down the tau protein. "We have previously shown,
in a Phase 2 trial, that sodium selenate given to patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease resulted in less neurodegeneration than in
those who did not," she said. Importantly those patients in the trial
with higher levels of selenium, a breakdown product of sodium selenate,
in their bloodstream showed less cognitive decline.
The research group is now conducting a larger study at many hospitals
across Australia and New Zealand to further test whether this drug is beneficial for patients with bvFTD.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Monash_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lucy Vivash, Charles B. Malpas, Christian Meletis, Meghan Gollant,
Dhamidhu Eratne, Qiao‐Xin Li, Stuart McDonald, William
T. O'Brien, Amy Brodtmann, David Darby, Christopher Kyndt, Mark
Walterfang, Christopher M. Hovens, Dennis Velakoulis, Terence
J. O'Brien. A phase 1b open‐label study of sodium selenate
as a disease‐modifying treatment for possible behavioral
variant frontotemporal dementia.
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical
Interventions, 2022; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12299 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505102147.htm
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