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Scientists just found a protein that reverses brain aging in mice
- stevenjgarner 1y agoSummarizes paper "Targeting iron-associated protein Ftl1 in the brain of old mice improves age-related cognitive impairment" [1] Could lowering FTL1 restore synaptic connectivity and memory in old mice represent a master switch in brain aging, or just one of many parallel mechanisms? If FTL1 is sufficient to induce both structural and functional brain aging in mice, what does that imply about the hierarchy of molecular drivers in neurodegeneration [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z
- Ygg2 1y agoKeywords: In Mice.
- stevenjgarner 1y agoThe increasing frequency of mouse studies showing reversal of aging symptoms indicates a few things in itself, regardless of whether any single result (like FTL1) holds up in humans: 1. Field Maturation We’ve moved from “aging is inevitable” → “aging can be slowed” → “specific mechanisms can be reversed in vivo.” That shift means: - Tools (CRISPR, single-cell omics, proteomics) are now precise enough to pinpoint single culprits. - Researchers are designing interventions that don’t just extend lifespan, but restore youthful function in cognition, muscle, or immunity. 2. Convergence on a Core Set of Mechanisms Different labs, different pathways (NAD+, senolytics, plasma dilution, now FTL1), but similar outcomes: old mice regaining youthful traits. This convergence hints aging may not be a diffuse “wear and tear” process, but the result of a relatively small number of upstream regulators. 3. Proof-of-Concept Momentum Even if each specific intervention fails to translate, the fact that so many are succeeding at all in mice makes it harder to dismiss rejuvenation as fringe. The signal: aging can be manipulated, not just observed. 4. Cultural Shift in Geroscience Funders, journals, and institutions are increasingly willing to spotlight “reversal” claims, where a decade ago the same results might have been relegated to smaller journals. The fact we’re seeing more of these studies may reflect both real progress and changed editorial appetite. the trend suggests aging is experimentally tractable and reversible in model organisms. That doesn’t mean translation to humans is imminent, but it reframes aging from “inevitable decline” to “complex but solvable engineering problem.”
- throw310822 1y ago> This convergence hints aging may not be a diffuse “wear and tear” process About this: it seems to me that the idea itself of "wear and tear" is just silly. It's a metaphor taken from the realm of mechanical objects that have no regeneration abilities. Any living being is continuously repairing localised damages back to a pristine state, while aging is diffuse and organic. This suggests that any "wear and tear" can only be at the cellular level- but still it can't be a biological necessity given the wildly different lifespans of organisms- from a few days to centuries.
- bitwize 1y agoIt still applies because while organisms all have some form of self-repair ability, most do not have complete self-repair. "Wear and tear" is still possible at the macro level where self-repair is missing or slower than the damage rate -- famously in the articular cartilage, for instance. There's also accumulating damage that does not resemble mechanical wear and tear: toxins, misfolded proteins, DNA damage/mutation, senescent cells, etc.
- jjk166 1y agoBiological entities have some regeneration techniques, but that doesn't guarantee a mechanism exists for arbitrary damage to be repaired. For example I can heal a broken bone, but I can't heal a broken tooth.
- throw310822 1y agoNo but you do grow entire teeth. Some animals regrow entire limbs. Organisms constantly build and rebuild themselves, sometimes (or at some levels) from scratch. Fresh cells can be generated at any time. The capacity to regenerate and repair can be lost but it's not intrinsically absent as the "wear and tear" metaphor suggests.
- glenstein 1y agoI fully agree with this GPT copy paste. We rely on these studies for good reason and the "in mice" reflex implies we should disregard important research. I find them to be an unfortunate mix dismissiveness and principled restraint, that veers to much into the Onions Learned Sage territory.
- dgfitz 1y agoI’m re-reading hitchhikers, this made me chuckle.
- greenavocado 1y agoIt's still something. People are already injecting processed pig brains into their blood stream for many years now: Cerebrolysin
- pavel_lishin 1y agoThis feels like a headline that arrives in my parents' spam folder every two weeks or so for the past two decades.
- stevenjgarner 1y agoI feel you. The fact that it cleared Nature’s editorial bar suggests it’s more than a marginal observation. At minimum, the work would have needed rigorous experimental controls, reproducibility across multiple assays, and clear mechanistic insight. “Notability” is high, but skepticism is warranted given the mouse result.
- ac29 1y ago> The fact that it cleared Nature’s editorial bar This was published in Nature Aging, not Nature. Nature (the company) has 100+ journals, I dont think any of them are as selective as Nature (the journal). That doesn't make this a bad article or a poorly reviewed one, but I wouldnt equate it with an article published in Nature.
- layoric 1y agoIt’s almost like they are cashing in on their good name…
- qualeed 1y agoSpam folder? I feel like I see some strongly-worded headline about anti-aging of some sort here every two weeks.
- clickety_clack 1y agoSorry, this isn’t actually a public forum, we’re all just chatting in your parents spam folder.
- pavel_lishin 1y ago
- trhway 1y agoquick reading on that protein suggests to me, a layman, that more aerobic exercise and less red meat should be helping here against such a brain aging. Sounds so familiar.
- cheema33 1y agoThank you! I was wondering how this information is useful and applicable to me today.
- metalman 1y agoit gives you something to think about, cognitive exercise has an absoltue possitive effect also it is known that neural plasticity is just part of how our brains deal with damage of all sorts, so cleaning up "your" act and engaging in challeging cognitive tasks is almost certainly going to have benificial effects, imediatly
- depressedpanda 1y agoHow is red meat connected to it?
- SoftTalker 1y agoOther studies have suggested that creatine supplementation helps brain function. Red meat is a natural source of creatine.
- trhway 1y agoyes, sure. We'd not be such red meat eaters if it wouldn't be an efficient source of various stuff, at least in some moderate amounts. And our body is like a large enterprise software monolith - you touch something here, and it would reverberate in unexpected ways at some other unexpected places. The logic i see here is that, having excessive level of iron storage protein, may be it makes sense to cut somewhat back on one of the best sources of hem iron - i.e. red meat.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- peter-m80 1y agoWe should already have immortal mice
- d4rkn0d3z 1y agoI'm totally for immortal mice.
- zaptheimpaler 1y agoNot an expert, but the amyloid hypothesis for Alzheimers employed the same kind of logic and experiments in mice. For 20 years now every single trial with some intervention targeting the amyloid proteins has failed.
- jbentley1 1y agoI am by no means an expert on this, but was reading this about the amoloid hypothesis this morning: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/in-defense-of-the-amyloid-hypothesis https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/in-defense-of-the-amyloid-h... He addresses the specific reasons that the mouse results don't translate, but the interesting part to me is that the scientific community seems to be behind the amyloid hypothesis while the media likes to run with any story that refutes it.
- zaptheimpaler 1y agoVery interesting post, thanks!
- punkpeye 1y agoSerious question: With all the advancements in mice medicine, are we theoretically able to create immortal mice?
- Nevermark 1y agoI think if we were, we would have immortal mice.
- DrewADesign 1y agoHaving lived in some of the apartments I've lived in, I'm not sure that we don't.
- lblume 1y agoAre you sure the mice don't change?
- DrewADesign 1y agoOne older balding mouse would hold court in the pantry periodically-- he had a little gold ring that he made the other mice kiss before they conferred with him about various happenings around the apartment. I'm pretty sure he was in it for the long haul.
- wiseowise 1y agoYou kill one fucker, twenty show up to its funeral.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- kulahan 1y agoNo. Originally we sketched out 9 hallmarks of aging, and it has since increased to twelve. We don’t have a full picture of immortality yet, let alone conquering it.
- neom 1y agoKetones Reverse Brain Aging During Midlife Critical Window 19 points by rhodescolossus 4 months - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43506791 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43506791 Study reveals blood sugar control is a key factor in slowing brain aging 150 points by gnabgib 9 months ago - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42049418 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42049418 Study Reveals Immune Driver of Brain Aging 232 points by oedmarap on Jan 22, 2021 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25871347 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25871347 Brain aging shows nonlinear transitions, suggesting a midlife "critical window" 276 points by derbOac 79 days ago - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44175905 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44175905
- varjag 1y agoClearly we're on the way to a la carte immortality.
- bsimpson 1y agoI wanted the 20s understanding of this. The article says too much FTL1 may decay cognitive ability, so I asked Gemini about the link between that and blood sugar. High blood sugar increases the amount of iron your body stores, and FTL1 is a mechanism used to store iron in your body. Thus, a contributor to cognitive decline might be a protein that your body makes too much of when your blood sugar is high.
- NoSalt 1y agoYES, I need this! I think ... I can't remember.
- caycep 1y agoGranted with all these science PR posts, what did the paper actually say? And why don't ppl post the actual DOI/paper link? I mean, at least for CS topics people post the arxiv link as a minimum...
- stevenjgarner 1y agoThe paper was posted as an alternate [1] [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z
- lenerdenator 1y agoYet another reminder that there has never been a better time to be a lab rat with an awful disease.
- pfedigan 1y agoThis is interesting. For people with hemochromatosis, I have observed cognitive ability swings as they have their ferritin levels adjusted. I wonder if they could run tests on regular blood donors as well for those with iron sensitivity and not.
- cubefox 1y ago> To investigate the effect of NADH supplementation on cognitive function, young adult mice were administered NADH after viral-mediated neuronal FTL1 overexpression, and hippocampal-dependent memory was assessed by NOR and Y maze (Fig. 4s). Although young mice with increased neuronal FTL1 expression showed no preference for either a novel object or a novel arm, these cognitive deficits were mitigated after NADH supplementation (Fig. 4t,u). https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-00940-z
- mellosouls 1y agoHN needs an automatically generated [in mice] suffix
- Martin_Silenus 1y agoLet's read "Flowers for Algernon" again.
- AbstractH24 1y agoIf epilepsy is essentially “defective” pathways that propagate additional defective pathways I can only assume some “cognitive decline” is actually a protective mechanism So, how do we differentiate between healthy and unhealthy cognitive decline.