Alzheimer' s Studying a New Protein Inspires Hope Johns Hopkins Medicine COVID-19 Updates Masks are required inside all of our care facilities. We are vaccinating all eligible patients. Learn more: Vaccines, Boosters & Additional Doses Testing Patient Care Visitor Guidelines Coronavirus Email Alerts Find more COVID-19 testing locations on Maryland.gov. CloseSearch Submit Search Popular Searches coronavirus careers medical records map insurance accepted telemedicine Menu Health Alzheimer' s Studying a New Protein Inspires Hope Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Pinterest Share via Email Print this Page New research is shining a light on potential treatment strategies to prevent memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are studying Ephexin 5, a protein that appears in greater amounts in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease . Blocking this protein in mice seems to prevent the development of memory loss. Researchers say these findings could eventually advance the development of drugs that target Ephexin 5 and prevent or treat symptoms of Alzheimer's. Focusing on a New Alzheimer s Culprit Seth Margolis, Ph.D., is a researcher in biological chemistry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His team's findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on March 27, 2017. Previous Alzheimer's disease research has shown that a key sign of Alzheimer's disease is the growth of thick plaques on the brain. What's new is the finding from Margolis's team that brain cells produce too much Ephexin5 when the thick plaques are present. This overproduction limits the connection between brain cells (synapses) and contributes to memory loss. Dr. Margolis and his team conducted several additional studies and found that blocking Ephexin 5 in mice, even those with brain plaques, can prevent or stop memory loss in those mice. Hope for the Future Taken together, the results of the Margolis team's work suggest that both the growth of thick plaques and other factors trigger the production of too much Exephrin5, which limits connections between brain cells and contributes to Alzheimer's devastating memory loss. A drug that could shut down the production of Exephrin5 might transform Alzheimer's therapy. "Ephexin 5 is a tantalizing pharmaceutical target because in otherwise healthy adults, there's very little present in the brain," says Gabrielle L. Sell, a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who works with Dr. Margolis. "That means shutting off [the protein] might carry very few side effects." Visit Dr. Margolis's Lab Definitions Neurons (nyoo-rons): Neurons are brain cells that communicate with one another via an enormous network of hairlike extensions called axons and dendrites, which send and receive electrical signals. The human brain contains an estimated 100 billion neurons. These cells and networks store memories and control thinking speed and ability. Emerging evidence has suggested exercise and a healthy diet help the brain grow new neurons and connections at any age. Find a Doctor Specializing In: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) At Another Johns Hopkins Member Hospital: Howard County General Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital Suburban Hospital Find a Treatment Center Memory and Alzheimers Treatment Center Find Additional Treatment Centers at: Howard County General Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital Suburban Hospital Related Beyond Memory Loss: How to Handle the Other Symptoms of Alzheimer's Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Blood Pressure and Alzheimer's Risk: What's the Connection? Stages of Alzheimer's Disease See More Related Alzheimer's disease Beyond Memory Loss: How to Handle the Other Symptoms of Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's disease Blood Pressure and Alzheimer's Risk: What's the Connection? Related Topics