Discovery of new drug targets for memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease
Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 18:31
in Health & Medicine
Reactive astrocytes, which have been commonly observed in Alzheimer's patients, aberrantly and abundantly produce the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and release it through the Best1 channel, researchers have discovered. The released GABA strongly inhibits neighboring neurons to cause impairment in synaptic transmission, plasticity and memory. This discovery will open a new chapter in the development of new drugs for treating such diseases.