A recent study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging suggests that decreases in body temperature that appear with age could aggravate(加重) symptoms(症状) of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers André Marette (Faculty of Medicine) and Frédéric Calon (Faculty of Pharmacy), both INAF members, worked with their teams on the hypothesis(假设).
The teams tested the idea by exposing both normal and transgenic(转基因的) mice displaying symptoms of the disease with age to a temperature of 4oC for 24 hours. The effects of the disease appeared in both types of mice, but were more acute(严重的) in the transgenic mice in proportion(比例) to body temperature.
By maintaining(维持) the temperature of the transgenic mice to a thermoneutral(热中性的) temperature (28oC in mice), they also observed a decrease in symptoms of the disease: a one-degree Celsius increase in body temperature significantly(意味深长地) decreases the production of beta-amyloid, which is responsible(负责的) for the formation(形成) of senile(高龄的) platelets(血小板) in the brain. The results of the memory tests were also comparable(可比较的) to those of the normal mice.
The results point to the value of exploring the topic of thermoregulation(温度调节) in elderly individuals(个人) suffering from Alzheimer’s. If the studies are conclusive(决定性的), simple treatments could be used to help patients involving(包含) physical activity, diet, increased room temperature and pharmacological(药理学的) interventions(介入).