Antibiotics May Be a Promising Treatment for Form of Dementia

Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine have found that a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides could be a promising treatment for frontotemporal dementia. Results of their proof of concept study, which was a collaborative effort between UK’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and the University of California San Francisco’s Department of Pathology, were recently published in the journal, Human Molecular Genetics. Frontotemporal dementia is the most common type of early onset dementia. It typically begins between ages 40 and 65 and affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which leads to behavior changes, difficulty speaking and writing, and memory deterioration. A subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia have a specific genetic mutation that prevents brain cells from making a protein called progranulin. Although progranulin is not widely understood, its absence is linked to the disease. https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/antibiotics-may-be-a-promising-treatment-for-form-of-dementia-329232?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=81814950&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_n-uooSj6PczfR-nK8mrzwz9BZQ0BXZryScRdDB6qmF3APvxOUW4dfJR0buTZzpE5IS0x52CxSekWB-6BFVB-yu552nw&_hsmi=81814950