Youthful Function Restored to Aging Brain Cells in New Study Ep. 1257 SEP 2025

A recent study in the journal GeroScience investigated how age-related declines in cellular energy, specifically the molecule Guanosine triphosphate (GTP), affect waste clearance in brain cells. Using hippocampal neurons from an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model, researchers found a significant, age-dependent reduction in free GTP levels, which was accelerated in the AD model neurons. This energy deficit was shown to impair critical cellular processes like endocytosis and autophagy, leading to the accumulation of toxic amyloid-beta (Aß) aggregates and increased protein oxidation. Remarkably, the researchers then treated aged neurons for 24 hours with a combination of nicotinamide (a precursor to the energy-related molecule NAD+) and EGCG (a redox modulator found in green tea). This treatment was highly effective, restoring the depleted GTP levels in aged neurons all the way back to the normal, youthful levels seen in healthy, young neurons. This restoration of cellular energy enhanced the clearance of Aß aggregates and improved the viability of aged AD model neurons by 22%.

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• "This information is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice."
• "The study discussed was conducted in vitro on neurons isolated from mice. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans."
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#GTP #Autophagy #AlzheimersResearch #Nicotinamide #EGCG
Source: Santana, R. A., McWhirt, J. M., & Brewer, G. J. (2025). Treatment of age-related decreases in GTP levels restores endocytosis and autophagy. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01786-4
Guanosine triphosphate, GTP, Alzheimer's disease, neuronal aging, autophagy, endocytosis, bioenergetics, nicotinamide, EGCG, NAD+, Nrf2, 3xTg-AD mouse model, proteostasis, amyloid-beta clearance, Aß aggregates, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular energy, redox state, Rab7, Arl8b, neuronal viability, protein oxidation, neurodegeneration, in vitro study, hippocampal neurons