Repurposed drugs could hold cure for dementia

A drug that is currently in the trial stage as a cure for cancer, and a drug commonly used to treat depression, may well hold the key to a potential dementia cure. The two drugs in question are trazodone hydrochloride (depression and anxiety) and dibenzoylmethane (a drug being trialled on prostate and bowel cancer).

The study was conducted by scientists at the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham and also the Medical Research Centre Toxicology Unit in Leicester. Researchers used mice to discover the effects of two drugs on degenerative neurological diseases. The early results showed an improved memory response and a decline in neurodegenerative damage.

The main cause of neurological decline and dementia is the result of the brain struggling to produce certain proteins. Scientists believe that trazodone hydrochloride and dibenzoylmethane tell the brain to continue producing proteins that help neuron and cell growth in the brain - therefore completely stopping neurodegeneration.

These tests are in the very early preliminary stages. The two drugs would have to be put through human clinical trials to ensure they don’t cause any damage to people with neurological degenerative diseases. This is still a very promising discovery in the battle against dementia, one that brings us even closer to finding a cure.

To read the full paper on the trial, please click here.