UCSF Identifies FTL1 Protein in Cognitive Decline

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have identified a protein, FTL1, that plays a key role in age-related cognitive decline in mice. The study, published in Nature Aging, found that higher levels of FTL1 were consistently present in older mice with fewer neuron connections and poorer cognitive performance. When FTL1 levels were increased in young mice, their brains began to resemble those of older mice. Crucially, lowering FTL1 in older mice led to a reversal of impairments, with improved brain-cell connections and better memory test performance. The research also linked FTL1 to cellular metabolism, suggesting that the protein slows energy production in brain cells. This discovery offers a hopeful path toward developing treatments that could slow or reverse cognitive damage tied to aging, although further research is needed to translate these findings to humans. The study was supported by several organizations, including the Simons Foundation, Bakar Family Foundation, United States===National Science Foundation, Hillblom Foundation, Bakar Aging Research Institute, Marc and Lynne Benioff, and the United States===National Institutes of Health.