Therapy for dementia by free electron laser irradiation

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15553
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Gunma University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAMURA KAZUHIRO 群馬大学, 大学院保健学研究科, 教授 (10327835)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 川崎 平康 東京理科大学, 研究推進機構総合研究院, 研究員 (00363268)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 赤外自由電子レーザー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder, for which effective treatments have not been explored. Previously, I reported that aggregated amyloid beta 1-42 peptide was dissociated by free electron laser irradiation. In this study, I studied if that is also the case for autopsy brain from Alzheimer-type dementia. I applied mid infrared light to frontal cortex blocks from the 4 cases. Then, I carried out western blot analysis. The signal pattern of high molecular weight form of amyloid beta rather than the monomer form was changed after the irradiation only in part of the cases. However, it is not known if the toxic form of amyloid beta was decreased after irradiation. I will continue the reaearch by analysing neurological functions of the brain after irradiation.

Free Research Field

医工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ペプチドレベルでは、アミロイドベータ以外の他の複数の凝集体たんぱくが中赤外光によって解離を示している。現在までのウェスタンブロットを用いた解析では、アルツハイマー型認知症剖検脳におけるアミロイドベータの内、毒性を有する構造体を減少させたかどうかは不明である。しかし、今後の神経機能の解析によって、照射後の神経機能回復を示すデータが得られた場合には、この方法はアルツハイマー型認知症以外の他のアミロイドーシスの組織の機能改善効果が期待できる方法となり得る可能性を有する。