Drug That Reduces Hunger Could Prevent Brain Aging

A new study suggests that sharply reducing caloric intake by as high as 40 percent could slow aging in cells and may even prolong lifespan. To top it off, researchers believe they have found a way to mimic this benefit in the means of a drug that stimulates the brain.

The pill activates an enzyme in brain cells, and the study showed the drug delayed both the cognitive impairment associated with aging and Alzheimer's disease, and the loss of nerve cells that happens with aging.

The study was conducted with mice, but scientists believe this might be able to stave off hunger in decline human brain function.

"There are clear implications for human health," said Coleen Murphy, a professor at Princeton University who studies aging, but was not involved in the new study.

Previous studies have been conducted on mice and other organisms used for laboratory research, but studies in humans have shown calorie restriction can boost memory in the elderly.

In the new study, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  focused on how calorie restriction affects brain cells. They showed that restricting the calorie intake of laboratory mice by 30 percent boosted levels of an enzyme in the brain, and delayed the loss of nerve cells that can accompany decline in brain function.

The calorie-deprived mice also did better on memory tests, compared with their well-fed counterparts.

Then, the researchers mimicked calorie restriction - they fed the mice a regular diet, but also gave them the enzyme-blocking drug. These mice had better functioning brain cells, and did better on cognitive tests, just as the mice that were fed a calorie-restricted diet.

The study is the first to show that the benefit of calorie restriction on cognitive function is linked with less degeneration of neurons.

This is also the first demonstration of a synthetic molecule that mimics the benefits of caloric restriction, said David Sinclair, a professor at Harvard Medical School who previously collaborated with the authors on aging research.

However, whether calorie restriction could increase human lifespan is still unclear. Researchers are hoping to use further studies to look into information regarding the findings.

The information regarding the study can be found in the Journal of Neuroscience.