14/12/05 - The crossword clue giving doctors new hope of developing cure for Alzheimer's

Completing crosswords has long been credited with keeping the brain healthy well into old age, and delaying the onset of Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases, but doctors have been unsure why.

Now scientists at Edinburgh University have discovered the "survival genes" switched on by problem solving, and keeping brain cells healthy.

By working out how the genes work, they hope to develop treatments to cure Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

Dr Giles Hardingham, of the university's Centre of Neuroscience, said: "When brain cells are highly stimulated, many unused genes are suddenly reactivated. We have found that a group of these genes can make the active brain cells far healthier than lazy, inactive cells, and more likely to live a long life."

The findings also have implications at the initial stages of life, where maternal drug taking and drinking can cause survival genes to be turned off in the brains of unborn babies.

Mr Hardingham said: "Our work also bears relevance to the potential harm that can befall an unborn baby if it is exposed to substances which suppress its brain activity, like alcohol, and certain drugs like Ketamine and PCP (Angel Dust).

"The cells of young, developing brains are particularly reliant on signals from these survival genes, but these signals are suppressed if mothers are taking drugs or drinking alcohol."

Mr Hardingham and his team are now looking at what it is in the genes that keeps brain cells healthy in order to develop a treatment that can do the same.

He said: "We recently discovered that a critical step in turning on these survival genes involves activating a master genetic controller called CREB.

"We aim to home in on which of these CREB-controlled genes are crucial in helping the brain cells live longer and become resistant to trauma. By being able to explain at molecular level the basis of brain activity dependent survival, it will open the way to developing better therapies to help halt the progress of neurological diseases."

Cynthia McVey, a psychologist at Glasgow's Caledonian University, welcomed the use of "epigenetics" - where the environment has an effect on people's genes - in treating neurological disease.

She said: "The research is very valid because Alzheimer's is something of great concern to us and will get worse with the ageing population.

"If we can find some mechanism by which we can extend the healthy life of brain cells, clearly that has the potential to have an effect on the number of people suffering the disease." There are 63,000 people with dementia in Scotland, although the number is expected to rise over time to an estimated 84,300 in 2025.

Jim Jackson, chief executive of Alzheimer's Scotland, gave the research a cautious welcome.

"People have done research into mental agility exercises and found it is effective in delaying the onset of Alzheimer's in the general population," he said.

"[The new research] is an interesting hypothesis that deserves examination. But Alzheimer's is a complicated illness and we know that in most cases it is not a result of one single gene."

Mr Jackson warned that because Alzheimer's was a complex brain disease, even if a treatment was found, it might not help in all cases.

He added: "All this research is very exciting, but we always remind people that there is a long way to go.

"We urge them to be careful not to raise the hopes of those who suffer from the illness and their carers."

Donald Ross, The Scotsman's crossword editor, said crossword lovers had always appreciated the pastime's benefits.

He said: "People think it keeps them going and it probably does by stretching their vocabulary and testing their word or number power. But whether it can stave off Alzheimer's is another question."

Source: Scotsman