SCIENTISTS in York have taken a vital step towards developing treatments for dementia after researching brain activity in fruit flies.

The research, conducted by biologists at the University of York, uncovered what occurs in the brain to drive progression of one of the most common forms of dementia.

Scientists hope that after finding new stages in the onset of the disease they can now look to develop treatments.

Funded by the Alzheimer’s Society and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the findings were published this week in The Journal of Cell Biology.

Scientists in York worked with counterparts at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and University of Puerto Rico.

Together, the researchers studied how the connections between neurons in the brain, known as synapses, are affected by changes in the protein CHMP2B, which is linked to Frontotemporal Dementia.

They uncovered never seen before signals that lead to the overgrowth of synapses.

The senior author Dr Sean Sweeney, of York's Department of Biology, said: "These findings shed light on the events occurring in neurons as dementia takes hold.

"The more we know about the steps that occur in disease progression, the more opportunities we have to intervene with potential therapies."

Frontotemporal Dementia is one of the most common forms of early onset dementia that typically starts in individuals in their fifties.

It affects the ability to use and understand language in addition to a change in personality and a loss of inhibition in some social behaviours. This is caused by the loss of neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.

Initial laboratory research into the effects of CHMP2B was carried out using Drosophila, a species of fruit fly.

The lead author, Dr Ryan West added: ‘"We hope that this work helps to tease apart complex molecular processes occurring in neurons and identify how these can go wrong in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Frontotemporal Dementia."

Dr Clare Walton, research manager at Alzheimer’s Society said: "We know less about the underlying causes of frontotemporal dementia than some other kinds of dementia so research like this is a vital step towards developing treatments for the condition.

"Further research will be needed to determine whether this mechanism plays a similar role in humans.

"Alzheimer’s Society is dedicated to supporting and training new scientific talent like Ryan to generate novel research ideas that will help us find the answers to all types of dementia."