Boosting One Protein Reawakens Aging Brain Cells in Mice, Study Shows

A discovery by researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine in the US could lead to treatments that clear the troublesome aggregations of protein thought to play a key role in Alzheimer's disease .

Using mice bred to have a condition similar to the neurodegenerative disorder, the team found that elevated levels of a protein called Sox9 triggered specialized brain cells to go into clean-up overdrive, 'vacuuming' up plaques with increased efficiency.

In behavioral and memory tests, the treated mice also performed better, suggesting that the intervention can help protect the brain and reverse cognitive decline – a process that typically occurs in Alzheimer's disease as neurons are damaged and destroyed.

The researchers found that the benefits of Sox9 stemmed from increased