Sinus infections and colds are the typical targets of nasal sprays, but Texas A&M University scientists have invented a spray with a more novel aim: getting rid of brain fog.
Researchers at A&M’s Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine say their therapy could be revolutionary for patients. By reducing inflammation that causes brain fog and brain aging, it might slow or reverse cognitive decline.
“We’re creating … this possibility that we can prevent degenerated cognitive and memory problems,” said Ashok Shetty, university distinguished professor and associate director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “You can potentially prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”
Shetty and his team are developing the therapy as dementia becomes more common in American households, with researchers estimating that about 42% of people over 55 are expected to develop it in their lifetimes. New cases of dementia are projected to double, from about 514,000 to 1 million per year by 2060.
The new nasal spray requires more research before it is tested in humans. Shetty, who created the therapy along with senior research scientists Madhu Leelavathi Narayana and Maheedhar Kodali, said he expects it will be cheaper, safer and less time-intensive than current therapies, however.
The treatment is a two-dose spray that is administered over several weeks and lasts for months.
“The mode of delivery is one of the most exciting aspects of our approach,” Kodali said in a news release. “Intranasal delivery allows us to reach, and treat, the brain directly without invasive procedures.”
The nasal spray’s main target is age-related “neuroinflammaging” in the brain’s center, which develops slowly over time and creates a brain fog that also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The spray contains millions of microscopic carriers called extracellular vesicles, which carry genetic material known as microRNAs directly to the brain tissue — entirely bypassing the brain’s protective shield.
The microRNAs are then absorbed into the brain’s immune cells, suppressing systems responsible for chronic inflammation in aging brains.
In their research, published February in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Shetty and his team found that two doses of the spray dramatically reduced inflammation and reactivated the brain’s mitochondria, known as “powerhouse” cells.
That not only got rid of brain fog, but it also improved the brain’s ability to process and store information, the A&M scientists found. Both male and female mice showed better cognitive function and memory recall, including improvements in recognizing familiar objects and detecting new objects and changes in their environment.
Shetty’s team has filed a patent on the nasal spray. Their study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging.