The brain needs a lot of energy — far more than any other organ in the body — to work properly. And aging and Alzheimer’s disease both seem to leave the brain underpowered.
But an experimental cancer drug appeared to re-energize the brains of mice that had a form of Alzheimer’s — and even restore their ability to learn and remember.
The finding, published in the journal Science, suggests that it may eventually be possible to reverse some symptoms of Alzheimer’s in people, using drugs that boost brain metabolism.
The results also offer an approach to treatment that’s unlike anything on the market today. Current drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, such as lecanemab and donanemab, target the sticky amyloid plaques that build up in a patient’s brain. These drugs can remove plaques and slow the disease process, but do not improve memory or thinking.