New Experimental Drug May Reverse Brain Damage Caused by Concussions

New research has discovered new information about how an experimental medication reverses neural damage linked to traumatic brain injuries. This discovery lays the foundation for a drug, which could help prevent the cognitive deficit that occurs after a concussion, to be developed in the future.

The research was carried out by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco. The primary objective of the research was to explore the integrated stress response signaling pathway. Environmental stresses usually trigger this pathway, often causing facilities that produce proteins in the cells to shut down.

For their study, the researchers initially focused on finding drugs that could block the integrated stress response (ISR) pathway in the brain as a way to treat neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. They discovered that a drug known as ISRIB could successfully improve cognition across various animal models of brain illnesses.

This led the scientists to then look into whether the drug, which is also known as an ISR inhibitor, produced the same effects in the treatment of more severe types of brain injury. Michael Stryker, the cosenior author of the study, stated that the team’s aim was to observe whether the ISR inhibitor could alleviate the neural effects of concussions.

Here, the researchers centered on the parietal cortex, which is a region in the brain that plays a role in working memory. Their attention was focused on how brain injuries changed the way connective pathways between neurons were formed.  The researchers observed that after a mild concussion, new connective pathways appeared in the parietal cortex. However, Susanna Rosi, the other cosenior author of the study, notes that generally speaking, this is not a good thing.

Rosi explained that this is because too many new connective pathways make it hard for information in the brain to be processed properly. The researchers also observed that ISRIB improved cognition and behavior as well as returned the normal spine dynamics in the brain as seen across different mice models of traumatic brain injury. However, the exact underlying mechanisms of the drug remain unclear.

It should be noted that these findings only apply to animal models, which highlights the need for future research that will bring the researchers closer to developing a drug that can be administered to individuals who suffer concussions. Ongoing trials in humans are testing the ISR inhibitor’s safety and toxicity.

The study’s findings were reported in the “PNAS Journal.”

As different companies, such as Odyssey Health Inc. (OTC: ODYY), focus on developing targeted treatments for the complications resulting from concussions, the prospects of patients with this form of brain damage will keep improving.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Odyssey Health Inc. (OTC: ODYY) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ODYY

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