A groundbreaking study from Stanford University has revealed that glucose, a simple sugar crucial to our body's energy production, might also hold the key to rejuvenating aging brains. By restricting glucose, scientists found they could reawaken dormant neural stem cells in older brains, potentially opening new paths for treating age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
As the brain ages, its ability to produce new neurons, a process known as neurogenesis, drastically diminishes. This reduction in neurogenesis has far-reaching consequences, affecting memory retention, cognitive functions, and the brain's ability to recover from injury or diseases like stroke. According to lead researcher Anne Brunet, the decline in neural stem cell activation in older brains may be closely linked to how glucose is processed at the cellular level.
Very excited to share our work published in Science! In collaboration with @parasmin and the Andreasson Lab at Stanford, we uncovered that modulating glucose metabolism through IDO1 inhibitors can restore cognition across Alzheimer’s pathologies!
— Dr. Melanie McReynolds (@dr_ohsopretty) August 22, 2024
The study, published in Nature, identified over 300 genes that play a role in the aging process of neural stem cells. By focusing on the GLUT4 glucose transporter gene, Brunet’s team made a significant breakthrough. When they blocked the gene responsible for glucose uptake in neural stem cells, they observed a dramatic increase in the production of new neurons in aging mice. This discovery suggests that elevated glucose levels might inhibit neurogenesis, and lowering glucose intake could reawaken the brain's capacity to regenerate new cells.
Glucose plays a vital role in maintaining the body's energy supply, particularly for the brain, which consumes around 20% of the body's energy. However, as we age, the way our brain cells process glucose becomes less efficient. Over time, this reduced efficiency could contribute to the brain's sluggish ability to repair itself. The new research suggests that controlling glucose levels could not only help prevent cognitive decline but could also be leveraged to repair brain damage from trauma or disease.
How spikey are you? Stanford study shows how continuous glucose monitors are changing the way people think about what it means to be healthy. "80 percent of our participants spiked after eating a bowl of cornflakes and milk." HT @AnnChildersMD https://t.co/A9KGvNjAIU pic.twitter.com/PVPIsEEeIw
— Georgia Ede MD (@GeorgiaEdeMD) September 9, 2018
The implications of these findings are vast. Scientists believe that with further research, it might be possible to design treatments or therapies that target glucose metabolism in neural stem cells. By reducing glucose intake or developing drugs that mimic the effect of glucose restriction, they could reactivate dormant stem cells in aging brains, boosting neurogenesis and potentially improving cognitive functions in older adults.
This discovery may also have significant impacts on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Both conditions are characterized by the gradual loss of neurons and cognitive decline. If glucose restriction can stimulate new neuron growth, it could lead to new therapeutic strategies that halt or even reverse the progression of these devastating diseases.
While the study was conducted on mice, researchers are optimistic about its potential applications to human health. Future research will aim to determine whether similar effects can be observed in human brains, and whether specific glucose-modulating therapies could be developed to help stave off the mental decline associated with aging.
Moreover, the study highlights the importance of glucose not just as an energy source, but as a critical regulator of brain health. Scientists speculate that there could be "cross-talk" between how our brain's primary cilia—the tiny cellular structures involved in regulating various functions—respond to glucose metabolism and other pathways involved in aging. This opens new doors for understanding the complex relationships between metabolism, aging, and brain function.
