Lab trials prove copper therapy enhances cognitive function and spatial learning

Monash University researchers have found in laboratory experiments that a drug which delivers copper to the brain significantly reduces toxic Alzheimer's proteins and improves long-term spatial memory.

The study, published today in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, shows the compound Cu(ATSM) repairs a vital waste-clearing pump at the blood-brain barrier – unlocking a potential new avenue of therapeutics targeting neurovascular dysfunction, caused by one of the world's leading causes of death.

Alzheimer's is driven by the buildup of toxic proteins called amyloid-beta. Normally, the brain flushes these out into the bloodstream through the blood-brain barrier. In Alzheimer's, the pumps doing the heavy lifting, called P-glycoprotein (P-gp), weaken significantly, clogging the drain and trapping the toxic proteins in the brain.

Lead author Dr Jae Pyun, from the Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics theme at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), whose work on the study marked the final part of his PhD project, said the treatment successfully engages the brain's blood vessels to lower toxic protein levels, which results in behavioural benefits.