Latest news with #StephenPasternak
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cough Medicine May Protect Against Some of Parkinson's Worst Symptoms
An active ingredient in cough medicines since 1979 has shown promise as a treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease-related dementia. The drug, ambroxol, isn't approved for use in the US, Canada, or Australia, but it is commonly found in cough syrups and tablets from Europe. In a gold-standard phase 2 clinical trial, 22 participants with Parkinson's dementia who received a high daily dose of ambroxol for a year showed no worsening of key neuropsychiatric symptoms. Meanwhile, 25 patients who received the placebo displayed worsening symptoms, gaining an average of 3.73 points on an established neuropsychiatric score. Patients on ambroxol dropped an average of 2.45 points. Related: Both groups shared similar cognitive scores related to memory and language. But those taking ambroxol showed stabilization in symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, anxiety, irritability, apathy, and aberrant motor activity. Participants on ambroxol also experienced fewer falls. Though ambroxol was found to be safe, no clinically meaningful improvements in cognition were recorded. Yet there are reasons to remain optimistic. "Our goal was to change the course of Parkinson's dementia," says neurologist Stephen Pasternak from Western University in Canada. "This early trial offers hope and provides a strong foundation for larger studies." In the team's analysis, some participants carrying a high-risk GBA1 gene for Parkinson's showed improved cognitive performance on ambroxol. With a small sample size and no control group to compare outcomes to, the authors caution these results need to be followed up before drawing any conclusions. That said, high-risk GBA1 gene variants tend to result in lower activity of the enzyme Glucocerebrosidase (GCase), and this, in turn, is linked to more protein clumps in the brain, like Lewy bodies, which are associated with Parkinson's dementia. Recently, studies have found that ambroxol can significantly increase GCase activity. In the current trial, those taking the drug showed 1.5 times the amount of GCase activity. No serious adverse effects were reported by those taking ambroxol, although mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues were common and caused a few participants to drop out of the trial. The findings suggest that some of the more serious symptoms of Parkinson's disease may be managed by ambroxol if taken regularly at high doses. Because ambroxol can easily cross the blood-brain barrier, some scientists suspect the cough medicine can treat neurodegenerative conditions, like Parkinson's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Gaucher disease, neuroinflammation, or spinal cord injury. Whether that hypothesis proves to be true requires more clinical research. But the recent phase 2 trial on Parkinson's dementia gives scientists good reason to keep digging. "These findings suggest ambroxol may protect brain function, especially in those genetically at risk," says Pasternak. "It offers a promising new treatment avenue where few currently exist. If a drug like Ambroxol can help, it could offer real hope and improve lives." The study was published in JAMA Neurology. Scientists Finally Uncovered Where Gluten Reactions Start One Major Feature of Aging Might Not Be Universal After All Brain's Memory Center Never Stops Making Neurons, Study Confirms
Gizmodo
07-07-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
This Cough Syrup Ingredient Might Actually Slow Dementia
Today's cough syrup could turn into tomorrow's treatment for Parkinson's disease. Recent research in the U.K. is the latest to suggest that a common ingredient in cough syrup, ambroxol, might be able to slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Scientists at St. Joseph's Health Care London conducted the year-long small study, which involved 55 patients with Parkinson's-related dementia. The drug was safely tolerated and may have stabilized people's symptoms, particularly people more genetically vulnerable to the neurodegenerative disease. Researchers elsewhere have already begun to test ambroxol for Parkinson's and related dementias in larger trials. 'These findings suggest Ambroxol may protect brain function, especially in those genetically at risk. It offers a promising new treatment avenue where few currently exist,' said study author Stephen Pasternak, a cognitive neuroscientist at Lawson Research Institute, the research arm of St. Joseph's Health Care London, in a statement from the university. The Surprising Connection Between Living Near Golf Courses and Parkinson's Disease Ambroxol is commonly used as an expectorant in cough syrup, helping thin out mucus so people with respiratory illnesses can clear phlegm from their airways and breathe easier. But recently, scientists have speculated that it can also target a key driver of Parkinson's, the accumulation of abnormal alpha-synuclein in the brain. Studies have found that ambroxol can raise people's levels of glucocerebrosidase (GCase), another protein that helps regulate the brain's waste clearance system. In people with Parkinson's, levels of GCase tend to decline as levels of abnormal alpha-synuclein rise. It's also known that people with certain genetic mutations affecting GCase function are at higher risk for Parkinson's. Scientists have hoped that ambroxol can indirectly lower people's alpha-synuclein by increasing GCase, reversing or at least slowing down the progression of Parkinson's. The researchers randomized people with Parkinson's-related dementia to either receive a placebo or a high dose of ambroxol (taken via pills daily) over a 12-month span. There were no severe symptoms linked to the drug's use, the researchers found, and common adverse effects were typically gastrointestinal. People on placebo also experienced worsening psychiatric symptoms of their Parkinson's and an increase in levels of GFAP (a blood marker of brain damage), whereas those on ambroxol appeared to stay about the same. 'This early trial offers hope and provides a strong foundation for larger studies,' Pasternak said. The team's results, published late last month in JAMA Neurology, were not a clear home run, however. There was overall no difference in cognition between the placebo and treatment groups, for instance. People with GCase-related genetic mutations taking the drug may have experienced improved cognition, though the sample sizes were too small to know for sure. Scientists Are Testing an Old Cough Medicine as a Parkinson's Disease Treatment That said, enough evidence has built up that other scientists are taking a chance on ambroxol. There are at least three clinical trials of the drug for Parkinson's and similar conditions linked to GCase underway right now. The largest of these trials is testing ambroxol in over 300 people with Parkinson's over a two-year span. It will take years for these studies to wrap up, but if successful, ambroxol could very well become the first treatment able to slow down the destruction caused by Parkinson's.
Scottish Sun
01-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Common cough medicine could help protect against a form of dementia, new study finds
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COMMON cough medicine could help protect people with Parkinson's against dementia. Around 145,000 people in the UK have Parkinson's, a progressive brain disease that affects movement - but they're also more likely to develop certain forms of dementia. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A cough medicine prescribed for decades in Europe - called ambroxol - could stabilise the progression of Parkinson's dementia Credit: Getty Some people start to have problems with thinking, memory and perception. In fact, about a third with Parkinson's eventually develop dementia, according Alzheimer's Society. Now, researchers at Lawson Research Institute are investigating whether Ambroxol - a cough medicine used safely for decades in Europe - can slow dementia in people with Parkinson's disease. Lead author Dr Stephen Pasternak, a cognitive neurologist, said: "Our goal was to change the course of Parkinson's dementia. "This early trial offers hope and provides a strong foundation for larger studies." Ambroxol is an over-the-counter medicine that breaks up phlegm, making it easier to cough "with an excellent safety record", according to researchers. But it isn't currently approved in the UK, researchers said. The study - published in JAMA Neurology - involved 55 people over the age of 50, who'd had Parkinson's disease for at least a year before developing mild to moderate dementia. They were either given a daily dose of Ambroxol - 525mg or 1,050mg a day - or a placebo. Researchers assessed their memory, psychiatric symptoms, and the blood marker GFAP linked to brain damage. I saw a subtle change in my husband's run but never expected brain diagnosis They found that the drug was safe and well-tolerated among participants. Dementia symptoms worsened in the placebo group, they remained stable in those taking Ambroxol, scientists said. 'Individuals receiving placebo showed a clinically meaningful worsening in neuropsychiatric symptoms, whereas those receiving ambroxol remained stable,' researchers wrote. Ambroxol boosts levels of an enzyme called GCase, which is known to help clear away waste products which have gathered in brain cells. In Parkinson's, a build up of a troublesome protein called alpha-synuclein is often seen in the brain tissue. It's thought that ambroxol may help improve the body's ability to clear away these clumps of alpha-synuclein and prevent damage to brain cells. Participants with high risk variants of a key gene linked to dementia - called GBA1 - showed improved cognitive performance on Ambroxol, researchers added. Markers of brain cell damage, GFAP, also increased in the placebo group but stayed stable in those taking Ambroxol. What are the symptom's of Parkinson's dementia? Most people with Parkinson's dementia have symptoms very similar to those of dementia with Lewy bodies. These include: Problems with staying focused Difficulties with making decisions Memory loss and forgetfulness Problems with the way the person sees things around them As well as problems with memory and thinking, Parkinson's dementia also often causes: Problems staying fully awake Very disturbed sleep Visual hallucinations - seeing things which are not really there Delusions – thinking things that aren't true Changes in appetite Mood symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, or apathy Source: Alzheimer's Society This suggested the cough medicine may have the potential to protect the brain from Parkinson's-related decline. 'Ambroxol was safe, well-tolerated, and demonstrated target engagement,' scientists wrote, however adding that the drug's clinical effect on cognition was 'not confirmed' in the study. Dr Pasternak said: "Current therapies for Parkinson's disease and dementia address symptoms but do not stop the underlying disease. "These findings suggest Ambroxol may protect brain function, especially in those genetically at risk. It offers a promising new treatment avenue where few currently exist." Scientists hope the study's findings could pave the way for larger clinical trials that test the effectiveness of Ambroxol in slowing dementia symptoms. Dr Pasternak is now is now looking into whether boosting GCase with Ambroxol could help protect the brain in Parkinson's-related diseases. "This research is vital because Parkinson's dementia profoundly affects patients and families," he said. "If a drug like Ambroxol can help, it could offer real hope and improve lives." Ambroxol was first explored as a possible Parkinson's treatment in 2009. A trial supported by Parkinson's UK that's currently taking place will observe 330 people with Parkinson's as they take ambroxol - a placebo drug - over two yeas, to see if it is beneficial in the long-term.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Common cough medicine could slow dementia in Parkinson's patients, study hints
A commonly sold cough syrup in Europe could potentially slow down progression of dementia in patients with Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests. Nearly half of those diagnosed with Parkinson's develop dementia within 10 years, with progressively worsening memory loss, confusion, hallucinations, and mood changes, which affect patients, families, and the healthcare system. 'Current therapies for Parkinson's disease and dementia address symptoms but do not stop the underlying disease,' said neurologist Stephen Pasternak from Western University in Canada. Now, a new year-long clinical trial suggests that the cough medicine Ambroxol – used safely for decades in Europe – can potentially slow the development of these symptoms. The small scale study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, monitored 55 participants with Parkinson's dementia, assessing their memory, psychiatric symptoms, and the blood marker GFAP linked to brain damage. One group of participants received Ambroxol daily while the other received a placebo. Researchers found that the drug was safe, well-tolerated and reached therapeutic levels in the brain. While psychiatric symptoms worsened in the placebo group but remained stable in those taking Ambroxol, scientists said in a statement. 'Individuals receiving placebo showed a clinically meaningful worsening in neuropsychiatric symptoms, whereas those receiving ambroxol remained stable,' researchers wrote in the study. Those with high risk variants of a key gene linked to dementia showed improved cognitive performance on Ambroxol, they said. GFAP levels increased in the placebo group, but stayed stable with Ambroxol, suggesting that the cough medicine may have the potential to protect the brain from faster deterioration under Parkinson's. 'Ambroxol was safe, well-tolerated, and demonstrated target engagement,' scientists wrote, however adding that the drug's clinical effect on cognition was 'not confirmed' in the study. Previous studies have shown that Ambroxol supports a key enzyme called glucocerebrosidase (GCase), whose levels are low in Parkinson's patients. Researchers previously found that Ambroxol could help treat the rare genetic disorder Gaucher disease in children, which is caused by a deficiency of GCase. When this enzyme doesn't work properly, waste can build up in brain cells, leading to damage. 'These findings suggest Ambroxol may protect brain function, especially in those genetically at risk. It offers a promising new treatment avenue where few currently exist,' Dr Pasternak said. 'If a drug like Ambroxol can help, it could offer real hope and improve lives,' he said. While the cough medicine is approved in Europe for treating respiratory conditions, with a long-standing safety record, including use at high doses and during pregnancy, it is not approved for any use in the US or Canada. Scientists hope the pharmacological data from this study could help conduct larger clinical trials to test the effectiveness of Ambroxol in slowing dementia symptoms.
