Several new investigational drugs showing promise in animal studies in protecting the brain against sudden damage from stroke also appear to have the potential to help fight neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Drugs currently used to treat neurological disease and brain injury provide a temporary relief of symptoms but do not stop or slow the neurodegenerative process.

The new drugs, called p53 inhibitors, attack a key protein involved in nerve cell death and could be a means of preserving brain function following sudden injury or chronic disease, according to the report published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Rather than acting like "bandages" that help alleviate brain damage, p53 inhibitors act as "seat belts" that help prevent damage from occurring in the first place, explained Nigel H. Greig, PhD, of the National Institute on Aging's Intramural Research Program.

"This is a completely new therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, which warrants further assessment to allow it to move to clinical trials," said Greig. "If it works, it could provide a new treatment approach for a wide range of neurological diseases."

Although the current research is limited to cell and animal studies, human clinical trials could begin in two to three years, said Greig.

Other sources: American Chemical Society