PLA2G2F enzyme discovered that protects memory in the aging brain

US neuroscientists have discovered the PLA2G2F enzyme, which protects memory and prevents neuron loss in the aging brain. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the study revealed that this enzyme keeps memory young even in old age and can provide resistance against Alzheimer's in humans.

Dr. Amar Sahay and his team of neuroscientists at Massachusetts General Hospital examined a special phospholipase enzyme that breaks down fat compounds in the brain. According to the research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the PLA2G2F gene found in the brain and the enzyme produced by this gene create a biological shield of resistance by preventing neuron loss with advancing age.

Clinical experiments showed that laboratory mice lacking the Pla2g2f gene experienced severe inflammation and neuronal destruction in their brains as they aged. In contrast, it was determined that elderly subjects with increased gene levels performed as well as young mice in spatial memory tests and that the connections between nerve cells were preserved. Dr. Amar Sahay explained that this special structure cleans toxic lipid droplets accumulating in brain cells, and thanks to this cellular cleanup, the development of new neurons is triggered and inflammatory processes are suppressed.

Genetic analyses conducted on human tissues proved that the findings also apply to the human brain. Examining the brain tissues of deceased donors, the researchers documented that the PLA2G2F enzyme level was at its highest in cognitively resilient individuals who showed no mental decline in tests performed before death, despite having amyloid-β protein deposits in their brains, which are considered the main cause of Alzheimer's disease. It was noted that this protective enzyme remained at lower levels in severe Alzheimer's patients and in individuals without any protein deposits.

Dr. Timothy Hohman, an expert from the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, emphasized that the study constitutes a historical example in terms of understanding cellular protection mechanisms that are extremely difficult to study in humans. Dr. Amar Sahay, who founded the biotechnology startup LIPOS BIO to translate the findings into clinical treatment, drew attention to the difficulties of directly injecting enzymes into brain tissue, stating that thanks to gene therapies to be applied in the near future, PLA2G2F expression can be increased before mental decline begins, thus completely preventing age-related dementia and Alzheimer's.