## Restoring โคCircadian Rhythmโค Function Shows Promise in Alzheimer’s โคDisease Models
New research from Washington University school โฃof Medicine in st. Louis suggests that โขbolstering the body’sโ natural daily rhythms may offer โฃa novel therapeutic avenue for Alzheimer’s disease.โ published in *Nature Aging*, the study โขdetailsโ how manipulating a key protein involved in circadian regulation can โคreduce damaging tau buildup and protect brainโค tissue in mouseโข models of the disease.
the research, led by Erikโข Musiek, MD, PhD, and first author Jiyeon โLee, PhD, focusedโฃ on theโค protein REV-ERBฮฑ, a regulator of metabolism and inflammation tied to the โbody’s 24-hour โclock. Previous studies โคindicated REV-ERBฮฑ influences levels of nicotinamide โadenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a crucial molecule for cellular energy, DNA repair,โ and overall metabolicโ health. declining NAD+ levels are a hallmark ofโ both brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchersโฃ investigated the โimpact of reducing REV-ERBฮฑ activity in mice. They โobserved that genetically deleting the protein – both throughout the body and specificallyโข within astrocytes, supportive cells in the brain – led to a meaningfulโ increase in NAD+ levels. This suggests that inhibiting REV-ERBฮฑ directly enhances NAD+ production within the brain.
Further experiments โคconfirmed this protective effect. Blocking REV-ERBฮฑ, using both genetic techniques and โคa newly developed drug already under investigation for amyloid-ฮฒ andโข Parkinson’s disease, not only raised NAD+ levels but also โmitigated brain damage associated with tau protein โฃaccumulation. Tau aggregates are known to disrupt neuronal โfunction โขand are a key characteristicโข ofโฃ Alzheimer’s disease.
these findings indicate that restoring optimal function to the body’s internal clock, specifically through REV-ERBฮฑ โinhibition, โcould representโค a new strategy for preventing tau buildup and โคpotentially slowing or halting the progression of Alzheimer’s โdisease. The research highlights the critical link between circadian rhythm health and brain resilience,โข opening doors for future treatments focused on resetting and reinforcing theseโ vital โคbiological processes.