Thursday, February 29, 2024
New findings by a team of researchers at The at Fort Worth鈥檚 are expanding people鈥檚 understanding of the potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a treatment for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Their study, titled 鈥�,鈥� was published recently in , a leading international journal focused on the biology of aging and the pathophysiology of age-related diseases.
鈥淲hat we see in our research is that hyperbaric oxygen therapy leads to cognitive
improvements in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease mouse models and that these improvements were
more pronounced in females than in males,鈥� said Paapa Mensah-Kane, PhD candidate in
the lab of Dr. Nathalie Sumien and first author of the study.
鈥淲e are very excited about the results.鈥�
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which includes breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment, has been used for decades to treat health problems like decompression sickness and severe infections. It has also emerged as a potential option for managing the effects of Alzheimer鈥檚.
After applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy to the Alzheimer鈥檚 model, the team tested for different cognitive domains like memory and associative learning. They also evaluated the effects on motor deficits and explored how the therapy affected males and females differently.
鈥淭he good thing about exploring hyperbaric oxygen therapy is that we don鈥檛 have to try to create a new research model, we just have to repurpose it for Alzheimer鈥檚, a disease that has been a menace to mankind,鈥� Mensah-Kane said.
Sumien says these results could open the door for exploring other benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
鈥淭hese findings reveal promising insights into a potential therapy not only for Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease, but also for other conditions affecting brain function,鈥� said Sumien, who serves as interim chair and professor of pharmacology and neuroscience at HSC.
With 6.2 million American鈥檚 living with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, Mensah-Kane says there is a critical need to continue research that explores new treatments for the debilitating neurodegenerative disorder.
鈥淎s a PhD student, I have been deeply inspired by the quest for solutions to complex challenges. The inspiration to explore hyperbaric oxygen on Alzheimer鈥檚 disease stems from a profound desire to contribute meaningfully to the field of neuroscience,鈥� Mensah-Kane said.
鈥淲itnessing the devastating impact of Alzheimer鈥檚 has fueled my commitment to explore innovative approaches. These results are not just about scientific advancement, but a celebration of persistence and collective effort of a dedicated team.鈥�
Mensah-Kane completed the research as part of his PhD in Biomedical Sciences degree in the School of Biomedical Sciences at HSC. He plans to continue and expand his research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
The research team also includes Dr. Delaney Davis, Helen Shi, Oahn Trinh, Philip Vann and Dr. Ladislav Dory.
Read the study:
From - Research by Matt Havlik