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Memory Loss May Not Be the Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s
Nautilus | Science • • health
Key Points:
- A new study published in Nature Communications identifies impaired cognitive flexibility, the brain's ability to adapt to new rules and situations, as an earlier sign of Alzheimer's disease than memory loss.
- Researchers at Texas A&M University used genetically engineered 5xFAD mice to demonstrate that these mice struggled to adapt to changing reward-based tasks, indicating early cognitive flexibility deficits.
- The study found abnormally high neuroactivity in the medial prefrontal cortex of 5xFAD mice, which contributes to a feedback loop that increases amyloid-beta plaque accumulation and neural excitability.
- Chemically reducing this hyperactivity in mice led to decreased amyloid-beta buildup, normalized brain activity, and improved cognitive flexibility, with lasting positive effects on neural circuits.
- While further research is needed in humans, these findings suggest that assessing cognitive flexibility could improve early diagnosis and treatment outcomes for Alzheimer's disease.
