Drug target could block brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Blocking a receptor called P2X7 significantly reduced inflammation in human brain tissue, revealing a potential new treatment strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The discovery could help researchers repurpose existing drugs for conditions including traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, and schizophrenia. Drug target could block brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Drug target could block brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Science News from research organizations Drug target could block brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Scientists have found a way to dramatically reduce inflammation in human brain tissue using a drug-targetable receptor linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, brain injury, and more. Com Scientists may have found a new way to reduce harmful inflammation in the brain by targeting a receptor that can already be blocked with existing drugs. The research, published in Brain and led by Professor Nicholas Barnes at the University of Birmingham, identifies the P2X7 receptor as an important driver of neuroinflammation.

When researchers blocked this receptor, inflammation in human brain tissue was significantly reduced. The findings could eventually have implications for many neurological and psychiatric conditions in which inflammation is thought to play a role. These include traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and psychosis.

Blocking a Key Driver of Brain Inflammation To investigate the receptor, the researchers used live cultures of human brain cells along with slices of brain tissue collected during neurosurgery.