Switching off specific protein could reverse brain ageing and prevent Alzheimer’s, study finds

Lowering levels of a protein called FTL1 in the brain may reverse memory loss and help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests.

The research points to therapies that could ease what scientists describe as the “worst consequences of old age” by targeting a molecular mechanism behind cognitive decline.

Ageing takes a heavy toll on the hippocampus – the brain region responsible for memory and learning – and is the main risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that older mice had higher FTL1 levels, fewer connections between brain cells in the hippocampus and weaker cognitive abilities compared with younger mice.

When scientists artificially increased FTL1 in young mice, their brains and behaviour began to resemble those of older animals.

Lab-grown nerve cells engineered to produce large amounts of FTL1 also grew fewer branches.

Reducing FTL1 levels in the hippocampus of older mice led to marked improvements. The animals developed more connections between nerve cells and performed better on memory tests.

The researchers also observed that FTL1 slowed metabolism in hippocampal cells.

Treating these cells with Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH), an enzyme that stimulates metabolism, prevented these effects.

The researchers said: “Our data identify neuronal FTL1 as a key molecular mediator of cognitive rejuvenation.

“Our data raise the exciting possibility that the beneficial effects of targeting neuronal FTL1 at old age may extend more broadly, beyond cognitive ageing, to neurodegenerative diseases in older people.”

The study noted that boosting metabolic functions with NADH supplementation reduced the effects of ageing on cognition, suggesting possible therapeutic approaches.

Saul Villeda, a study author from the University of California San Francisco, said: “It is truly a reversal of impairments.

“We’re seeing more opportunities to alleviate the worst consequences of old age. It’s a hopeful time to be working on the biology of ageing.”

The researchers hope therapies developed to block FTL1’s effects could benefit dementia patients and provide a new way to treat age-related memory decline.