Science Daily shared news from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center about mice trials that demonstrate memories actually being restored as brain energy levels are brought back by new Alzheimer’s treatments:
By examining both human Alzheimer’s brain tissue and multiple preclinical mouse models, the team [led by Kalyani Chaubey, PhD, of the Pieper Laboratory] identified a key biological failure at the center of the disease. They found that the brain’s inability to maintain normal levels of a critical cellular energy molecule called NAD+ plays a major role in driving Alzheimer’s. Importantly, maintaining proper NAD+ balance was shown to not only prevent the disease but also reverse it in experimental models.
NAD+ levels naturally decline throughout the body, including the brain, as people age. When NAD+ drops too low, cells lose the ability to carry out essential processes needed for normal function and survival. The researchers discovered that this decline is far more severe in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. The same pattern was seen in mouse models of the disease.
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The results were striking. Preserving NAD+ balance protected mice from developing Alzheimer’s, but even more surprising was what happened when treatment began after the disease was already advanced. In those cases, restoring NAD+ balance allowed the brain to repair the major pathological damage caused by the genetic mutations.
Both mouse models showed complete recovery of cognitive function. This recovery was also reflected in blood tests, which showed normalized levels of phosphorylated tau 217, a recently approved clinical biomarker used to diagnose Alzheimer’s in people. These findings provided strong evidence of disease reversal and highlighted a potential biomarker for future human trials.
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The research also opens the door to additional studies and eventual testing in people. The technology is currently being commercialized by Glengary Brain Health, a Cleveland-based company co-founded by Dr. Pieper.
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You can read more of the research here, in Cell Reports Medicine.