Experimental drug reverses memory loss in mice that had a form of Alzheimer’s disease

Could doctors be on the verge of a breakthrough in reversing the effects of one of the most heartbreaking illnesses?

While testing what is being called an “experimental cancer drug,” researchers took note that lab mice suffering from a rodent form of Alzheimer's saw the effects of the disease not just slowed or stopped but actually reversed, with the mice regaining brain function.

The report on the findings, published in the journal Science, hypothesizes that the drugs could have the same effect on people, boosting brain metabolism to revitalize their abilities to access memories and learn new things.

The findings suggest that brains left wanting for energy by the disease could be re-energized, which could restore some of the functions that were left shut down by the sickness.

Treating Alzheimer's in this manner would be completely different from the current treatment methods. “[The change in the mice’s brains] was such a profound rescue that we sort of went back to the drawing board and tried to figure out what was going on,” Dr. Katrin Andreasson, a professor of neuroscience and neurology at Stanford, told NPR.

But while this new idea shows promise, it still must be tried out on people before doctors really know for sure how much merit it may or may not have.