New research suggests that the epilepsy drug valproic acid may be beneficial to people with Alzheimer’s disease, as long as it is given in the early stages of the neurodegenerative disease.
A multi-national team of researchers found that valproic acid decreases amyloid β-protein production both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the study of a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease revealed that mice treated with valproic acid developed significantly fewer amyloid plaques and did not sustain as much memory loss. However, the results did show that early treatment with valproic acid was vital.
The authors concluded: “Our study suggests that valproic acid may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Qing H, He G, Ly PTT, Fox CJ, Staufenbiel M, Cai F, Zhang Z, Wei S, Sun X, Chen CH, Zhou W, Wang K, Song W. Valproic acid inhibits Aβ production, neuritic plaque formation, and behavioral deficits in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. Journal of Experimental Medicine. Published online October 27, 2008. doi:10.1084/jem.20081588
