Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, MA, USA) found that SIRT1 appears to prevent production of damaging A-beta peptides that make up amyloid plaques that form in the brain of people with AD. They also demonstrated that learning and memory improved when SIRT1--protein was overproduced in the brain of mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's.

SIRT1 is a "rescue gene” that repairs the damage done by free radicals and prevents cells from dying prematurely. The gene also causes mitochondria to generate energy at higher levels that are typically associated with younger cells.

Dr. Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the UK Alzheimer's Society (London), commented, "SIRT1 certainly appears to be everybody's favorite gene at the moment. Activated by calorie restriction and a compound found in red wine, research has shown that it can help animals to live longer. Now scientists may have linked it to the control of a key protein associated with the development of Alzheimer's-type dementia. Much more research is now needed before we can find out if drugs that activate SIRT1 could be used to fight dementia.”

The study's findings were published July 23, 2010, in the journal Cell.

Related Links:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
UK Alzheimer's Society