Blood-boosting drug helps increase memory: study

LONDON (Reuters) - A blood-boosting anemia drug that athletic cheats use to gain a competitive edge also appears to improve memory, German researchers reported on Tuesday.

Their study showed how erythropoeitin, or EPO -- used medically to increase blood production among cancer patients with anemia, for instance -- affected nerve cells in the brains of mice and led to better memory.

The findings could prove useful in treating diseases that affect the brain such as schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis, Hannelore Ehrenreich and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute in Germany reported in the BioMed Central journal BMC Biology.

"The currently available data clearly indicate that EPO can improve cognitive function of both rodents and man by directly acting on the nervous system," they wrote.

The researchers injected mice with EPO every other day for three weeks to test the long-term impact of the drug. Mice given EPO had better memory in some situations than the animals given a placebo.

The better memory lasted up to three weeks from the last dose but disappeared after about a month. Mice given one dose a week had no benefit.

The specific improvements were associated with the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in learning and memory, among other things, the researchers said.

"Young mice systematically treated with EPO for three weeks have improved memory, similar to the dramatic improvements observed in endurance and muscular performance athletes who use EPO to boost performance", Ehrenreich said in a statement.

EPO treatment seemed to increase the transmission of certain nerve impulses in the brain, resulting in greater short-term and long-term memory. The improvements in memory were not linked to boosted blood production.

The findings may help lead to potential drug targets that could treat neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia, the researchers said.

Leading makers of EPO drugs include Amgen and Johnson & Johnson.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn; Editing by Maggie Fox)