Japan Study Finds Regulating Autophagy Restores Brain Function in Mice

Researchers from the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that regulating autophagy, the body's natural cellular recycling process, can restore lost brain function in mice, according to a study published in the journal Science, Ryo Watanabe reported for The Mainichi.

Autophagy, the subject of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is a vital cellular process that maintains cell health by breaking down and recycling damaged proteins and other cellular components.

The findings raise hopes that future therapies could help reverse the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), conditions in which lost brain function has traditionally been considered irreversible.

Autophagy, the subject of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is a vital cellular process that maintains cell health by breaking down and recycling damaged proteins and other cellular components.

Neurodegenerative diseases occur when abnormal proteins accumulate inside nerve cells.

Until now, researchers had not determined whether removing those proteins could restore lost neurological function. The research team developed genetically engineered mice in which autophagy could be selectively switched on and off using medication.

When autophagy was suppressed for four weeks, abnormal proteins accumulated in nerve cells, causing declines in motor function, memory, and learning ability similar to those seen in neurodegenerative diseases.

After autophagy was reactivated, abnormal proteins declined over the following four weeks, while the animals' motor and cognitive functions significantly improved.

The researchers concluded that the findings suggest "nerve cells may possess a greater capacity for recovery than previously thought."