Metabolic Mitochondria Dysfunction May Be Primary Cause of Alzheimer's

Researchers at Yale-NUS College in Singapore claim to have uncovered evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary cause of Alzheimer's, reports Gene Engineering News . Their study published in eLife determined metabolic defects occur well before any significant growth in the amount of amyloid-beta protein can be identified. The researchers used C. elegans to spot these changes, and learned that treating the worms with the diabetes drug Metformin reversed these defects and normalized their health and lifespan. "These defects were associated with elevation of protein carbonyl content specifically in mitochondria," noted Yale-NUS Professor Jan Gruber. "Importantly, metabolic failure occurred before any significant increase in global protein aggregate was detectable." Gruber also suggested the results "point to metabolic dysfunction as an early and causative event in Aß-induced pathology and a promising target for intervention." He added that metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunctions should be considered fundamental signs of aging overall, and age-dependent diseases like Alzheimer's should be perceived as manifestations of aging. It may therefore be easier to prevent or treat such maladies by targeting the mechanisms of aging rather than individual diseases after symptoms appear.