Warum Alzheimer-Patienten geliebte Menschen vergessen: AD löscht das soziale Gedächtnis vor dem Objektgedächtnis, aber eine pharmazeutische Intervention mit MMP-Inhibitoren verspricht, dem bei Labormäusen entgegenzuwirken

>when protective structures around brain cells break down, people may lose the ability to recognize loved ones. In lab studies, keeping these structures intact helped mice remember one another.

> Lab mice with damaged nets lost their “social memory” or the ability to recognize familiar mice, even though they could still form new memories and distinguish between familiar objects in their surroundings. This pattern closely mirrors what happens in people with Alzheimer’s, where social memory often fades before object memory.

>Sontheimer and his team, with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Owens Family Foundation, a Wagner fellowship and a Double Hoo fellowship, tested whether MMP inhibitors – a class of drugs already being studied for their potential to treat cancer and arthritis – could prevent the loss of the perineuronal nets. The treatment worked, preventing further damage and helping the mice keep their memories of one another.
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>“In our research with mice, when we kept these brain structures safe early in life, the mice suffering from this disease were better at remembering their social interactions,” Chaunsali said. “Our research will help us get closer to finding a new, nontraditional way to treat or, better yet, prevent Alzheimer’s disease, something that is much needed today.”

[Degradation of perineuronal nets in hippocampal CA2 explains the loss of social cognition memory in Alzheimer’s disease – Chaunsali – 2025 – Alzheimer’s & Dementia – Wiley Online Library](https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.70813)