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GnRH Injection Therapy Helps Improve Cognitive Function Among People With Down Syndrome, New Study Finds

Ermolaev Alexandr - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purpose only, not the actual person

According to the CDC, about six thousand babies born in the United States every single year are diagnosed with Down syndrome– making this the most prevalent chromosomal condition in the country.

And even though every person with Down syndrome has their own unique abilities, the CDC also reported that people with the condition tend to “have an IQ in the mildly-to-moderately low range and are slower to speak than other children.”

However, a recent study conducted by the Lille Neuroscience & Cognition Laboratory in collaboration with Lausanne University Hospital has tested the efficacy of a new injection therapy aimed at improving cognitive function among people with Down syndrome.

The injection consisted of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone, known as GnRH, which is known for regulating reproduction by targeting the hypothalamus.

However, the researchers recognized that GnRH had the potential to impact other brain regions and subsequently alter other functions, including cognition.

So, the team tested their hypothesis using mouse models and were able to conclude that progressive olfactory and cognitive deficiencies are, in fact, closely tied to the dysfunctional secretion of GnRH.

Then, the researchers moved on to their next stage of study– testing the effects of GnRH injections on a small patient group in a pilot clinical trial.

The group consisted of seven men between the ages of twenty and fifty with Down syndrome whom all underwent MRI exams before treatment.

Then, each of the men was given an arm pump that administered one subcutaneous dose of GnRH every two hours for seven months. Finally, after seven months, the men underwent a second MRI exam.

Ermolaev Alexandr – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person

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