Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease that is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. affecting an estimated 5 million Americans. It is the most common form of dementia and has no known cure. The disease destroys brain cells leading to memory thinking and behavioral problems that become severe enough to affect work social life and normal daily functioning. It gradually worsens over time and is fatal.

Advancements in the battle against Alzheimer’s continue to be made through extensive research into the diagnosis and basic mechanisms associated with the disease. A major goal of current research is to improve the ability to diagnosis the memory disorder while it is still in the early stages when individuals can benefit most from treatment. In addition several types of new medications are currently being explored in clinical trials for more successful treatment of Alzheimer’s. Among these is a drug used to improve blood flow to the brain that may also help to improve learning and memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

The drug known as Fasudil has been used in stroke patients for over a decade to create better blood flow to the brain by expanding blood vessels when blood flow has been blocked. According to researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Arizona State University (ASU) the active form of the Fasudil called hydroxyfasudil may alter memory by affecting the function of a gene called KIBRA. The researchers have found that KIBRA may influence human spatial learning and working memory. The study results can be found in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

During the study middle-aged male rats injected with hydroxyfasudil and placed in a maze that tested spatial learning and working memory were found to perform better than those given a placebo. In addition performance levels increased in relation to the dosages of the drug given.

These findings suggest that hydroxyfasudil could have an impact on human cognitive processes linked to the part of the brain known to deteriorate in patients with disorders related to aging.

According to Dr. Matthew Huentelman research author from the TGen Research Institute “If Fasudil proves to be safe and effective in enhancing learning and memory it could represent a viable new option for the prophylactic treatment of disorders with a cognitive decline component. This could include diseases like Alzheimer's as well as general age-related impairment. In short it may be a new pharmaceutical weapon that could be used even before the occurrence of symptoms.”

Lead author Dr. Heather Bimonte-Nelson an Assistant Professor in ASU's Department of Psychology said “Fasudil shows great promise as a cognitive enhancer during aging.” She went on to explain “The effects in our aging-animal model were robust showing enhancements in both learning and two measures of memory. The possibility that these findings may translate to benefits to human brain health and function is very exciting.”

Though only in the early stages of testing the study results could eventually lead to new treatments for progressive cognitive impairment lessen the impact of aging on memory or possibly improve the quality of human learning and memory.