For over 100 years, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been seen as irreversible. Because of this, most treatments have focused on slowing the disease, not reversing it.
But a new study led by researchers from University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center has challenged this idea. Their results show it may be possible to recover brain function, even in advanced stages of AD.
The researchers found that a key energy molecule in the body, NAD+, drops significantly in AD patients. This lack of NAD+ harms brain cells and may drive the disease. Restoring NAD+ balance could prevent or even reverse Alzheimer’s.
Scientists used two types of mice with genetic mutations that cause AD-like symptoms. These mice showed severe brain damage, inflammation, and memory loss. The researchers then treated them with a drug called P7C3-A20, which restores NAD+ levels.
The results were remarkable: not only did the mice stop getting worse, but their brain function and memory also returned to normal. Even mice in advanced stages of AD showed full recovery.
The treated mice also had normal levels of a key AD biomarker (phosphorylated tau 217). This confirmed that the drug reversed disease, not just symptoms. The study opens up the possibility that human brains might also recover if energy balance is restored.
Dr. Andrew Pieper said, “Restoring the brain’s energy balance achieved pathological and functional recovery.” He emphasized that the brain might be able to repair itself if given the right conditions.
Dr. Kalyani Chaubey added that their study offers one drug-based method to achieve recovery in animal models and points to future human treatments.
Over-the-counter NAD+ supplements may raise NAD+ to unsafe levels. The drug used in the study, P7C3-A20, helps maintain healthy NAD+ levels without this risk. More research and human trials are needed to test if the same recovery can be achieved in people.
Dr. Pieper’s team is now working on clinical trials and exploring whether this strategy can help with other brain diseases caused by aging.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and Oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing flavonoid-rich foods could improve survival in Parkinson’s disease.
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