A new study reports something strange. Inhaling menthol in mice with Alzheimer’s disease improves cognitive performance. The compound appears to be able to reverse some of the brain damage normally associated with the disease.
In particular, researchers interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) protein helps control the body’s inflammatory response. The inflammatory response provides natural protection, but it is a harmful response if not properly controlled.
The team behind the study say it shows that certain odors could be used as treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. If we can figure out which odors trigger which brain and immune system responses, we can use that to improve our health.
“We focused on the role of the olfactory system in the immune and central nervous system and confirmed that menthol is an immunostimulatory odorant in animal models.” To tell Immunologist Juan José Lasarte of the Spanish Center for Applied Medicine Research (CIMA) said:
“Surprisingly, however, we observed that short-term exposure to this substance for six months prevented cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease mice and, most interestingly, also improved cognitive performance in healthy young mice. rice field.”
have previously observed Inhaling menthol boosts the immune response in mice, but the team showed that it may also improve cognitive performance in animals, as observed in a series of hands-on laboratory tests.
In mice with Alzheimer’s disease, administration of menthol for six months was sufficient to stop the cognitive and memory decline of the mice. Furthermore, menthol appears to have pushed IL-1β protein back to safe levels in the brain.
When researchers artificially reduced the number of regulatory T cells (Treg) known to help regulate the immune system, they observed some of the same effects, enabling future treatments. The way has opened.
“Both menthol exposure and Treg cell blockade caused a decrease in IL-1β, a protein that may be behind the cognitive decline observed in these models.” To tell CIMA neuroscientist Ana Garcia-Osta.
“Furthermore, blocking this protein specifically with drugs used to treat some autoimmune diseases also improved cognitive performance in healthy and Alzheimer’s disease mice.”
Scientists have already established numerous links between odors and the immune and nervous systems. While these relationships are difficult to fully understand, we do know that our olfactory system can have a strong impact on the brain. Certain smells can trigger certain reactions in the brain, triggering chemical reactions that affect memory, emotions, and more.
In fact, diseases associated with the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia occur frequently. with loss of sense of smell. This new study adds some promising data, but more is needed in humans as well as mice.
“This study is an important step towards understanding the relationship between the immune system, the central nervous system and the sense of smell.” To tell CIMA Immunologist Noelia Casares.
“These results suggest that odorants and immunomodulators may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases associated with the central nervous system.”
This research Immunology frontier.