Researchers have identified PLA2G2F, a brain enzyme that protected memory in aging mice and was linked to mental resilience in a small set of human brain samples, though the results do not prove it can stop memory loss in humans.
The study was published on October 15 in Nature Neuroscience. The work focused on the hippocampus, which is a brain area central to memory, and discovered that activity of the gene Pla2g2f increased there with age. In mice, lowering gene activity harmed memory and worsened several signs of brain aging.
These negative signs included inflammation, the loss of connections between brain cells, and problems with how the brain processes fats. In contrast, raising Pla2g2f levels in aging mice helped keep memory intact and defended against some of those aging changes. The researchers suggest the enzyme may help control lipid droplets, which are fat stores that can accumulate inside brain cells and are connected to inflammation.
In lab-grown human brain immune cells called microglia, increasing PLA2G2F activity decreased the buildup of lipid droplets and cholesterol esters. The findings from human brains were more limited. In tissue samples from 13 people, higher gene activity was linked to mental resilience, even among individuals with brain damage related to Alzheimer's disease.
The results suggest a possible protective process that warrants more research. However, they do not prove that increasing enzyme levels would stop dementia or boost memory in people.