While the newly approved drugs for Alzheimer’s they promise some slowing the destruction of memory due to the disease, however current treatments are not at all effective in recovering memory. A group of scientists from the American Buck Institute for Research on Aging proposes an alternative strategy in this direction.

The researchers focused on one protein called KIBRA and is found in the kidneys and brain. In the brain it is found mainly in synapsesthat is, in the connections between neurons, which allow the formation and recall of memories. As they found, brains with Alzheimer’s disease show deficiency of KIBRA. They also found that this protein can reverse the memory impairment associated with Alzheimer’s and that it rescues mechanisms that promote synapse resilience.

The researchers argue in their journal publication “The Journal of Clinical Investigation” that KIBRA could be used as a treatment to improve memory after the onset of memory loss, even though the toxic Tau protein that caused the damage remains.

“Reducing toxic proteins is of course important, but repairing synapses and improving their function is another critical factor that could help. That’s how I think it’s going to have the biggest impact going forward,” says Buck Institute Assistant Professor Tara Tracy, lead author of the study.