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Drugs to Grow Your Brain

Continued from page 1

By Emily Singer

Monday, June 02, 2008

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Clinical trials of the company's lead candidate, known as BCI-540, began earlier this year. The drug, originally developed for Alzheimer's disease, boosts brain cell growth by 20 percent. These results are comparable to Prozac. "Because the drug had already been tested in 700 patients, we knew its safety profile," says Schoeneck. (Clinical trials for Alzheimer's were halted because of a high rate of placebo response.) Schoeneck says the drug has so far shown no signs of gastrointestinal or sexual side effects, two of the most problematic side effects of current antidepressants.

The company also plans to test the drug, which shows anti-anxiety effects in rodents, for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder common in combat veterans and assault victims. But the role of neurogenesis in mood disorders is still controversial. "Not everyone is convinced that neurogenesis is integrally related to the cause of depression," says Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Institute for Regeneration Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Drugs that boost brain cell growth may also aid cognition. Previous research has shown that neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a brain area integral to learning and memory, is important for maintaining plasticity in that part of the brain, which in turn is linked to memory function. "With aging, there's a decrease in neurogenesis," says Kriegstein. "The hypothesis is that if you could boost neurogenesis to compensate for that age-related decline, you might maintain functional levels."

BrainCells is also testing a compound, known as BCI-632, for its cognitive enhancing properties. "It's the most neurogenic compound we've seen," says Schoeneck. While the compound hasn't yet been tested in humans, it appears to boost at least one type of memory in rodents. The company aims to begin clinical trials next year.

Novel drug combinations may also have neurogenesis-boosting power. For example, researchers at Brain cells have found that a respiratory drug and a cardiovascular drug, both already on the market, seem to dramatically boost brain cell growth in cellular tests.

Comments

  • Placebo effect in Alzheimer's?
    Emily, can you explore and explain in more detail how a drug can have a placebo effect in a patient who has a memory disorder and won't remember that you even visited them the day after your visit?  Thanks.
    Rate this comment: 12345

    johnalphonse
    06/02/2008
    Posts:78
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    2/5
    • Re: Placebo effect in Alzheimer's?
      What makes you think it was only tested on subjects with an advanced condition? I'd think that it would be more likely tested in those it could more likely help -- those with early stage symptoms.
      Rate this comment: 12345

      Monsterboy
      06/02/2008
      Posts:87
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      4/5
    • Re: Placebo effect in Alzheimer's?
      I'm looking into this question and hope to have an answer later today. I'm not sure what stage of Alzheimer's the patients in the clinical trial had.
      Rate this comment: 12345

      Emily Singer
      06/03/2008
      Posts:20
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  • Awesome
    Wow, actually looks like they might be on to something here. Its good to know new ground is being broken in this area.

    JJ
    http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
    Rate this comment: 12345

    greenfoxone
    06/02/2008
    Posts:2
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    2/5
  • Beneficial?
    How do they know that stimulating brain growth is beneficial? Suppose a bunch of worry cells (cellulae anxietarum) are stimulated to grow?
    Rate this comment: 12345

    cyberpageman
    06/02/2008
    Posts:35
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    4/5
    • Re: Beneficial?
      Imagine the black market for lab-cultured happy cells.
      Rate this comment: 12345

      Monsterboy
      06/04/2008
      Posts:87
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      4/5
      • Re: Beneficial?
        Would there be any help in these drugs from someone who has suffered from an anoxic brain injury? My husband recently had an hypoxic-ischemic event in the ICU after surgery, and I am looking for new research that may help him. When I ask the doctors at his rehab facility, they don't give me any answers. They seem bleak to me. Does anyone have any information they can share? Any new research or treatments?
        Rate this comment: 12345

        kimberlykq
        05/05/2009
        Posts:1

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