New research shows that inhaling menthol improves cognitive functions in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that inhaling menthol reduced levels of interleukin-1-beta, a protein that causes inflammation. Reduced levels of IL-1-beta have been linked to better cognitive function in healthy mice and mice with Alzheimer’s disease.
These results suggest that some inhalers may contribute to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
According to a recent study in mouse models, published in Frontiers in Immunology, repeated brief exposure to methanol can affect the immune system and prevent the cognitive decline that occurs in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers found that when the mice smelled this substance, the level of interleukin-1-beta decreased. This protein is associated with an inflammatory response. In addition, by combining this protein with a drug used to treat autoimmune diseases, researchers were able to boost the cognitive abilities of mice with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease.
These results demonstrate the potential of sleep and immune modulators to treat this neurodegenerative disease.
This study is interesting in that it sheds light on the fact that, through the olfactory pathways. It is possible to repair the brain. We can bring a positive change to the brain through smell and smell alone.
Also, it does not require implantation of a deep brain stimulation electrode or a vagal nerve stimulation system. The study showed that it is possible not to enter the brain of rodents with Alzheimer’s disease, but to have a positive effect at the cellular level, in the form of disease-modifying treatment, through the nasal passages.
Why can menthol inhalation help?
Loss of smell has previously been linked to cognitive impairment and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in patients. The study identified a clear role of regulatory T cells (T-regs), immune cells with immunosuppressive function, in cognitive function in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This is an important finding, which does not yet have a mechanistic explanation. Interestingly, menthol inhalation and T-reg inhibition have a comparable ability to reduce cognitive impairment.
The link between mental health and sleep
Menthol reduces inflammation in the part of the brain associated with memory. Menthol appears to have an immunomodulatory effect on the prefrontal cortex, an area related to memory input that is impaired in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, menthol inhalation reduced cytokine (inflammatory chemical) load in this region in a rodent model with Alzheimer’s disease compared to a control group. The result ? A less inflamed brain. It is hypothesized that this effect is at least one of the mechanisms by which rats [atteintes de la maladie d’Alzheimer] the group exposed to menthol found that their cognitive functions improved.
Implications for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis
Inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease are closely linked, and therapies such as menthol inhalation may be beneficial in the treatment of this disease. The study highlights the fact that Alzheimer’s disease is underpinned by inflammation and if therapies can be designed to address this pathogenic component, the onset of Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed and its progression. Possibly, this therapy can be administered by an inhalation agent, menthol for example, which will be delivered directly to the limbic system of the brain, responsible for our emotions and our memory, through the olfactory nerves, because of it There are nerve connections between the olfactory and limbic systems.
Odors like mba agents
There is a direct link between the nerves and the olfactory system and the limbic system. The limbic system is associated with memory processing, emotional responses, fight or flight responses, anger, and sexual response. It is also important to note that the connection between the limbic system and the olfactory system is at the origin of the intimate association between memory and smell.
The study did not use aromatherapy, but we already know that smells often trigger memory. They can also cause emotions, good or bad. In the last case, they can offer a survival advantage: the smell of poison can cause us to flee or run away because of the fear of exposure to chemicals or poison, because the escape centers are activated only by the smell.
Do these decisions apply to people?
Since this study was conducted only on animals, it is impossible to know how humans will be affected. This is a rodent model. Often such studies do not involve humans. There is a whole series of genetic, anatomical, physiological and physiological differences between species that explain this phenomenon. Also, only menthol was tested as an odorant in the study. More research is needed
