A promising new study has uncovered a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease by using xenon gas, which activates the brain’s immune cells to combat the disease's hallmark plaques. Researchers from Washington University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that inhaling xenon gas can stimulate microglia, the brain’s immune cells, to break down harmful beta-amyloid plaques, while reducing brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer's.
The study, conducted on mice, found that xenon had significant positive effects, not only breaking down beta-amyloid plaques but also reducing tau protein levels—another marker of Alzheimer's. Mice with a genetic variant (APOE4) that heightens Alzheimer’s risk performed better on cognitive tests and showed less brain deterioration after xenon exposure. This marks a shift in research focus from targeting plaques directly to activating microglia to repair damage caused by these proteins.
This new approach comes as a welcome alternative to current Alzheimer’s treatments, which have not proven as effective as anticipated. Xenon has previously been used as an anesthetic and in treating brain damage from oxygen deprivation, with studies suggesting it may protect neurons. With these promising results, the study has earned approval from the FDA to proceed with human trials.
If successful, xenon gas could provide an innovative, non-invasive solution to treating Alzheimer's, transforming how we approach this devastating neurodegenerative condition.
