Khaberni - Researchers have discovered that a natural molecule that decreases with age may help restore impaired memory processes in Alzheimer's disease, opening the door to a new approach focused on slowing biological aging of the brain rather than just treating symptoms.
The study, published in the journal Aging Cell, was led by a team from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, focusing on a compound known as Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate (CaAKG), a naturally occurring molecule in the body previously associated with healthy aging processes.
The results showed that this molecule is capable of enhancing communication between neurons in Alzheimer's disease models, repairing defects in what is known as synaptic plasticity, a process that enables the brain to strengthen links between neurons and is fundamental to learning and forming long-term memories.
Decline in this plasticity is one of the first neural changes to appear in Alzheimer’s, leading to weakened associative memory, which is the ability to link events and information together. The researchers explained that CaAKG helped restore this ability, which often deteriorates in the early stages of the disease.
Professor Brian Kennedy, the principal researcher in the study, said that the findings highlight the potential of "lifespan-extending compounds" in combating neurodegenerative diseases, adding that focusing on aging mechanisms themselves might provide safer and more effective means to protect the brain.
He noted that Alpha-Ketoglutarate is already present in the body, but its levels decline with age, making its supplementation or enhancement of its vital pathways a promising, and potentially less risky, option compared to traditional chemical treatments.
The study also revealed that the molecule enhances the "autophagy" process, a cleaning system within nerve cells that helps eliminate damaged proteins, which are believed to play a pivotal role in the progression of Alzheimer's.
The molecule worked through a new neural pathway, activating specific calcium channels and receptors responsible for learning and neural flexibility, avoiding other pathways that are often negatively affected by the accumulation of amyloid plaques associated with the disease.
Promising Future Prospects
The lead researcher in the study, Dr. Shigeka Nawakudah, explained that linking the science of lifespan extension with brain health opens new avenues for understanding how to protect memory and delay cognitive decline before extensive neural damage occurs.
Although the results are still based on research models, they reinforce the idea that early intervention in aging pathways could represent a promising future strategy to slow the progression of Alzheimer's and support brain health as we age, at a time when the number of people affected by dementia is increasing globally.
