BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have discovered that osteoporosis may impair cognitive function, providing a new approach for the clinical treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, according to the Nanjing University.
The discovery, made by a research team from the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with the Medical School of the Nanjing University, has been published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disorder characterized by the progressive decline of bone mass and quality, leading to increased bone fragility and a higher risk of fractures.
Previous research has shown that the bones of elderly patients with osteoporosis would release a key osteocyte-derived factor called sclerostin, said Jiang Qing, associate dean at the Medical School of the Nanjing University, adding that in the patient's blood and cerebrospinal fluid, the proportion of sclerostin are high.
The team have conducted more than six years of research on the intrinsic connection between sclerostin and the brain.
Mouse experiments show that sclerostin released by bone cells of aged mice can break through the blood-brain barrier, inhibit the signal transmission of central neurons, damage the plasticity and integrity of neuronal synapses, and cause a decline in the cognitive functions in mice, said Guo Baosheng, associate professor at the medical school.
In addition, in the Alzheimer's mouse model experiment, the researchers found that increasing the concentration of sclerostin could accelerate the formation of amyloid plaque and further exacerbate cognitive decline.
The research findings demonstrated that Alzheimer's patients with osteoporosis are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment, Guo said. ■
