Overview

• A new study suggests that inhaling xenon gas can reduce neuroinflammation, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
• Xenon gas was found to activate microglia, the brain's immune cells, helping clear amyloid plaques and reduce tau protein buildup, both hallmarks of Alzheimer's.
• The gas crosses the blood-brain barrier, a key challenge in Alzheimer's treatment, and showed protective effects in multiple mouse models of the disease.
• A Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of xenon gas in healthy human volunteers is set to begin in early 2025 at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
• Researchers are also exploring the potential of xenon gas for treating other neurodegenerative and neuronal loss diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and ALS.