Page 5 - SFRBM Dot

thereby achieve their personal goals. For
Trainees feel validated as
me, with about 65 graduate students and

150 undergraduates, along with about 30 scientists and empowered

postdoctoral scholars and visiting scientists

who matriculated in my laboratory over the to carry on their research

course of my career, this approach has been

successful. A signiicant percentage of my projects.

Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars

have chosen academic pursuits and many

others have joined the industrial world, and
Yet, antioxidant treatment
to signiicantly improved cognition in an has been learned.
many undergraduate students have chosen
animal whose Abeta has the same amino has largely been unsuccessful as a disease-
to pursue Ph.D. or professional degrees.
acid sequence as humans. Interestingly, this modifying approach in late-stage AD or in

DOT: What are your thoughts on our present approach of high antioxidant diet, intellectual amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

understanding of Alzheimer disease biology stimulation, and exercise, which is eminently But some of these trials have been criticized

and our success in ighting it, how far we translatable to humans, was shown by redox for not taking into account the inherent basal

have gone, and how far we are away from proteomics (noted above as a technique redox state of subjects in the trials, for not

fully comprehending it if ever?
developed in our laboratory) to lead to having a reducing agent co-administered to

decreased oxidative modiication of many of recycle the oxidized antioxidant back to its
AD is a complicated, age-dependent
the same brain proteins in the aged beagle active form, and for starting treatment too
neurodegenerative disorder. The major
that we identiied to be oxidatively damaged late, after neuronal and synapse loss are
pathological hallmarks of AD brain are fairly

in subjects with AD and amnestic MCI.
too extensive. Certainly, given our present
well known: amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta)
understanding that pathology precedes
rich senile plaques, hyperphosphorylated I remain optimistic that, with increased
symptomology by approximately 20 years,
tau based neuroibrillary tangles, and loss recognition that the Baby Boomer population
efforts to identify predictive biomarkers
of synapses. However, the underlying cause of Americans (nearly 80 million—including
for AD are accelerating. Our laboratory,
of AD remains unclear. Abeta oligomers many members of Congress) is rapidly
for instance, has shown that mitochondria
appear to be able to reproduce cognitive and reaching the age where AD can be a big
isolated from peripheral lymphocytes from
biochemical aspects of AD in model systems, issue, increased funding and correspondingly
persons with AD or amnestic MCI are highly
so much current research is directed at increased research efforts will lead to
oxidatively damaged in ways that inversely
understanding the effects of Abeta oligomers breakthroughs that, in the short-term delay
correlate with cognitive status. Much more
and mitigating their formation or damage. the onset of this dementing disorder and in
research on biomarkers will characterize
Based on the work of many laboratories, the long-term lead to treatments that slow
future investigations in AD, I predict. As
including ours, it has become clear that or arrest progression and/or development of

one example, we and others using a higher
oxidative stress is strongly associated with this devastating disease.
phylogenetic species, the aged beagle dog,
AD, and likely is involved in its progression
DOT: How important is the SFRBM conference demonstrated that decreased brain oxidative
from preclinical AD through late-stage AD.
to you and your trainees?
stress resulted from a high antioxidant diet
Considering that prior to ours and others’
coupled to a program of behavioral enrichment
publications in the early 1990s, little was SFRBM’s Annual Meeting is highly focused
(makes more synapses) and exercise. The
known of Abeta and oxidative stress, much
on issues, techniques, and new insights
decreased brain oxidative stress correlated
related to free radical biology and oxidative/

SFRBM Newsletter // June 2014 // Radical View • Dr. Allan Butterield

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