Good News
UCLA scientists use statins to overcome learning disabilities in mice
“In a surprise twist that recalls the film classic “Flowers for Algernon,” but adds a happy ending, UCLA scientists used statins, a popular class of cholesterol drugs, to reverse the attention deficits linked to the leading genetic cause of learning disabilities. The Nov. 8 issue of Current Biology reports the findings, which were studied in mice bred to develop the disease, called neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1).
The results proved so hopeful, that the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the drugs in three clinical trials currently under review to test the effect of statins in children and adults born with NF1. The findings could help the estimated 35 million Americans who struggle with learning disabilities.â€
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“This is mind-blowing – we think we have a real fundamental reason to be optimistic,” explained Silva. “Here is a drug that affects a key learning and memory pathway, and completely rescues the most common genetic cause for learning disabilities. We don’t have to do extensive clinical trials for toxicity or safety – these were already completed for other uses.”
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“NF1 afflicts one in 4,000 people, about one million people worldwide.”
I don’t know where they get the estimate of possibly helping 35 million Americans, but even if it ONLY helps one million people, it is good news.
wouldn’t they already have noticed a change like this in the millions of adults who currently take statins, such as myself?
Certainly some of the people taking a statin must have a reading or learning disability.
?wouldn’t they already have noticed a change like this in the millions of adults who currently take statins, such as myself??
I wondered about the same thing. Note that this result only applies to the 1 in 4,000 people with NF 1. (Not to 35 million Americans with learning disabilities.) Still, that leaves over fifty thousand Americans with NF 1. Surely many of them are taking statins.
I take lipitor, and haven’t noticed anything too obvious — but I have heard a complaint about sleep disruption as a side effect of statins.
there have been attempts to show that sleep disruption disrupts memory, but none that claim a memory enhancement.
i don’t understand what’s going on with NF1 being the leading cause of learning disability. has anyone else heard this before this article? i thought NF1 mutations caused large cysts like the elephant-man had.
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