A new study has determined that a medication normally prescribed for multiple sclerosis can help persons with poor working memory. Working memory is an important component of cognitive function. Sadly, it is often impaired in patients with conditions like schizophrenia.
The study was led by University of Basel’s Professors Dominique de Quervain and Andreas Papassotiropoulos. For their randomized and double-blind study, the researchers tested the efficacy of fampridine on the working memory of forty-three healthy adults. Fampridine, the medication in question, is normally used to enhance walking ability for patients with multiple sclerosis.
Patients with this chronic illness often experience walking difficulties, which can range from unsteadiness, foot drop and leg weakness, to balance issues and sensory ataxia. The drug is normally found in capsule form and works by slowly releasing an active ingredient in the body. It has demonstrated effects on cognitive performance in patients with multiple sclerosis, with others admitting that the drug also eases mental fatigue that can accompany this chronic autoimmune disease.
The researchers discovered that fampridine demonstrated a pronounced effect in individuals whose baseline working memory was at low levels. In particular, they found these individuals had better scores in relevant tests after they’d taken the drug for 3 days. This is in comparison to the performance of participants who received the placebo.
The researchers also found that the medication demonstrated no effect in individuals with good baseline working memory.
Additionally, they observed that the drug heightened bran excitability in every participant, which in turn allowed stimuli to be processed faster. In their report, Prof. Papassotiropoulos explained that while fampridine didn’t improve working memory in all individuals, it could be a treatment option for individuals with poor working memory.
Prof.de Quervain then revealed that this was why they were planning research to test the effectiveness of fampridine in depression and schizophrenia, in collaboration with investigators from the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel.
It should be noted that fampridine wasn’t selected at random for the study. The researchers conducted thorough analyzes of genome data to determine starting points for repurposing established medications. They found that fampridine acted on certain ion channels in nerve cells that also played a role in mental health conditions like schizophrenia.
The study’s findings were published in the Molecular Psychiatry journal.
Other researchers involved included Christiane Gerhards, Virginie Freytag, Annette Harings-Kaim, Nathalie Schicktanz, Thomas Schlitt, Amanda Aerni, Elia Müggler, Ehssan Amini, and Tamás Faludi.
As companies like Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) make progress in their efforts to develop new medications for multiple sclerosis, it is gratifying to learn that those drugs could one day be repurposed and potentially help in the management of the symptoms of other conditions.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CLNN
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