Medicine dubbed statins for the brain could halt disease as the population ages

DEMENTIA could one day be controlled by new generation of neurostatins - similar to the drugs used to treat cholesterol, according to new research.

There may never be a "cure" for dementia but millions may soon be prescribed neurostatins to stop the brain damage linked with ageing.

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The new generation of drugs could prevent the expected 'dementia tsunami' by doing for Alzheimer's what statins already do to reduce cholesterol, preventing heart attacks and strokes.

Alzehimer's was first diagnosed more than a century ago and scientists have learned a great deal about the protein 'tangles' and 'plaques' that cause the disease.

University of Cambridge scientists argue the predicted flood of dementia sufferers as the population ages may never happen.

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The doomsday scenario may be too simplistic as better education and living standards could mean people will be at lower risk of developing the disease than previously thought,

So despite our ageing population, numbers were likely to stabilise and could even perhaps fall slightly,

While millions will be affected, an effective treatment for the 'memory thief' still seems like a distant prospect.

Instead there should be a greater emphasis on reducing the risk of dementia by keeping brains healthy through lifestyle and social changes while future drugs should prevent or treat the disease at an earlier stage.

In fact, the scientists may have already identified compounds that might fit the bill.

I don’t think we should talk of a cure. At best, we will be able to halt the disease. Prevention will be much more important

Professor Michel Goedert from the Medical Research Council

Professor Michel Goedert from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology said: "We know much about the causes of inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease, but this knowledge has so far not led to any therapies,

"It's clear now that abnormal protein aggregation is central to Alzheimer's disease, but we don't know the mechanisms by which this aggregation leads to neurodegeneration.

"I don't think we should talk of a cure.

"At best, we will be able to halt the disease. Prevention will be much more important."

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But recognising who is at risk is still a problem and Prof Goedert doesn't believe we will ever find a single 'magic bullet' but will use combination therapies in the same way that we treat other diseases such as HIV.

Professor David Rubinsztein also agreed the focus needs to be on preventing rather than treating the disease and backs the concept of neurostatins.

Prof Rubinsztein from the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research said: "These compounds would be safe, well tolerated by most people and generally good for you; you could take them for many years before the onset of disease

"Then we wouldn't need to worry about identifying people at highest risk of the disease - everyone could take them."

Prof Rubinsztein remains optimistic about our chances of fighting Alzheimer's

He added: "If you could delay the onset of Alzheimer's, even by three to five years, that discovery would be transformative and massively reduce the number of people getting the disease

"We're not asking to stop the disease, just to delay it. It's really not such a big ask."