• Treatments and services
• Consultants
• Hospital brochure
• GP Inform: information for G.P.s
• The Manchester Obesity Centre

• Cosmetic surgery
• Weight loss surgery
• Varicose vein treatment
• Women's health

Drug could provide dementia treatment

This news item was added on 22nd December 2007

A new study suggests that a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could help to reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that affects the brain and is the most common form of dementia, affecting around 417,000 British people.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California decided to test their hypothesis that elevated levels of a protein called tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) interfere with nerve impulses in the brain.

They administered an injection of the TNF blocking agent etanercept to an 81-year-old patient and found that he showed improvements within just ten minutes.

The findings are published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and editor-in-chief Dr Sue Griffin noted that the improvement shown by the patient was "unprecedented".

"Even though this report predominantly discusses a single patient, it is of significant scientific interest because of the potential insight it may give into the processes involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer's," she remarked.

However, Alzheimer's Society chief executive Neil Hunt cautioned: "It is crucial more research is carried out before any conclusions are drawn on TNF and the development of Alzheimer's disease."