Fascinating news today about an 81 year-old retired physician with Alzheimer’s disease who received an injection of etanercept, under the brand name of Enbrel, a medication that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Prior to the injection the patient was in relatively good health but he was agitated and could not remember what state he was in, his birthday or the names of his doctors. Within 10 minutes of receiving an injection into his spine he was calmer and was able to recall the state he was in as well as his birthday and his doctors names.

He continued to experience improvements in cognitive functions for 2 hours after the injection.

This case was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation by Dr. Edward L. Tobinick from UCLA and Dr. Hyman Gross from USC. The observations of Drs. Tobinick and Gross are similar to those from a study they conducted in 2006. In that study, 15 Alzheimer’s patients with mild to severe symptoms were given weekly injections of etanercept over a 6 month period during which time the patients experienced significant improvements in mental function.

Previous studies have suggested that etanercept, and potentially similar medications, may interrupt the inflammation caused by a protein known as tumor necrosis factor alpha, or TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha is the compound that is active in causing rheumatoid arthritis. TNF-alpha may also interfere with the way neurons communicate, so etanercept may help the brain cell transmit messages.

“This absolutely has the potential to be a disease-modifying treatment,” said Dr. Tobinick. “Since this report, our patient has received several other doses, and he’s continued to show a therapeutic benefit.”