A study by neuroscientist William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues at Stanford University Medical School has demonstrated a possible new approach to slowing the inevitable progression of cognitive decline found in Down syndrome.

The study, published in Science Translational Medicine on November 18, revealed two important new findings about Down syndrome in a mouse model:  1) there is evidence that synaptic terminals involved in neurotransmission are damaged long before the cells show degeneration; and 2) while cell signaling is damaged, the receptors are not, but are functioning and still trying to find signals.

“If we focus only on damage to cell bodies, we underestimate the importance of timing and the potential window for treatment of Down syndrome,” said Mobley, one of the nation’s leading experts in the disorder.  He added that this study in mice shows some of the early changes to neurons, which are “really quite dramatic,” and may point the way to novel ways to treat Down syndrome in adult patients.

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