Alzheimer's disease: why caffeine offers an avenue that is of great interest to researchers

Various epidemiological studies have already highlighted that regular and moderate consumption of caffeine seems to slow down cognitive decline linked to aging and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. ilona titova/Getty Images

Caffeine, a future treatment for Alzheimer's disease ? A new study suggests that its effects could be beneficial in slowing its progression in patients affected at an early stage.

Various epidemiological studies have already highlighted that regular and moderate consumption of caffeine seems to slow down cognitive decline linked to aging and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by disorders of memory, executive functions and orientation in time and space.

In a new study, published Friday in the journal “Brain”, researchers from Inserm, the Lille University Hospital and the University of Lille, within the Lille Neuroscience and Cognition research center, analyzed the mechanisms underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease.

They demonstrated that the pathological increase in target receptors for caffeine in neurons during the development of the disease promotes the loss of synapses, and in fact, Early development of memory disorders in an animal model of the disease.

A test at Lille University Hospital

In 2016, the same research team described one of the mechanisms by which caffeine could block these same receptors in animals, the expression of which is abnormally increased in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

"We can thus imagine that by blocking these receptors, whose activity is increased in patients with Alzheimer's disease, caffeine can prevent the development of memory disorders and even other cognitive and behavioral symptoms", indicated David Blum, research director at Inserm, one of the authors of the study.

A phase 3 clinical trial, led by Lille University Hospital, including 248 patients is currently underway. Half of the patients will receive 400 mg of caffeine, the other half will receive a placebo.

Its objective is to evaluate the effect of caffeine on the cognitive functions of patients suffering from early to moderate forms of Alzheimer's disease.

"If the trial is positive, this will encourage us to launch a larger trial. Potentially, this could mean that caffeine can be used as a medicine for the treatment of this disease, he told AFP.