Could Statins Reverse Learning Disabilities?

The statins that are commonly used to lower bad cholesterol may also be able to reverse learning disabilities associated with Noonan syndrome, the developmental disorder that causes unusual facial features, stunted growth, and heart problems.

In treating mice with the common statin drug lovastatin, University of California, Los Angeles researchers found that the mutated gene implicated in Noonan syndrome creates hyperactive Ras, a protein that regulates communication between brain cells. In a mouse model genetically engineered to have Noonan syndrome, Alcino Silva, PhD, director of the Integrative Center for Learning and Memory UCLA’s Brain Research Institute, and colleagues attempted to reverse this disruption in communication.
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Using mazes and objects to test the memory and cognitive ability of the mice, the investigators found that the mice that had been treated with lovastatin experienced a drop in Ras activity, and a corresponding improvement in their ability to navigate mazes and remember objects. These findings suggest that the gene mutation not only affects development, but also continue to impair adult brain function, according to the authors.

“Similar to some patients with Noonan mutations, mice with Noonan mutations also have learning problems,” says Silva.

“Lovastatin was able to reverse these learning deficits in mice with Noonan mutations,” says Silva, who adds that “we do not know if lovastatin will reverse the leaning deficits present in Noonan patients.”

While expressing hope, Silva notes that “we are in the process of organizing clinical trials to test that very hypothesis,” but cautions that, “until we know the results of clinical trials, clinicians should not alter their approach to the treatment of patients with intellectual disabilities associated with Noonan syndrome.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Lee Y, Silva A, et al.  Mechanism and treatment for learning and memory deficits in mouse models of Noonan syndrome. Nature Neuroscience. 2014.