London, Mar 1 (ANI): Breaking a 'gene blockade' could pave the way for restoring memory loss and other cognitive functions in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a new study has suggested.

Researchers have shown that an enzyme overproduced in the brains of Alzheimer's patients creates a barrier that shuts off genes essential to form new memories.

Furthermore, by inhibiting that enzyme in mice, the MIT neuroscientists were able to reverse Alzheimer's symptoms.

The finding suggests that drugs targeting the enzyme, known as HDAC2, could be a promising new approach to treating the disease, which affects 5.4 million Americans.

Li-Huei Tsai, leader of the research team, says that HDAC2 inhibitors could help achieve that goal, though it would likely take at least 10 years to develop and test such drugs.

"I would really strongly advocate for an active program to develop agents that can contain HDAC2 activity," said Tsai, director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.

"The disease is so devastating and affects so many people, so I would encourage more people to think about this."

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of 11 enzymes that control gene regulation by modifying histones - proteins around which DNA is spooled, forming a structure called chromatin.

When HDACs alter a histone through a process called deacetylation, chromatin becomes more tightly packaged, making genes in that region less likely to be expressed.

HDAC inhibitors can reverse this effect, opening up the DNA and allowing it to be transcribed.

Read more from the original source:
Reversing Alzheimer's gene 'blockade' 'can bring back memory'

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