What they did:
- Explored the effects of oxaloacetate (OAA) effects on brain bioenergetics (the make up of energy metabolism), insulin signaling, inflammation and creating new brain cells (neurogenesis).
- Mice were injected with OAA once a day for 1-2 weeks.
- Researchers measured different biomarkers along with the number of brain cells (neurons) and neuron length in the brain before and after treatment
What they found:
- OAA treated mice had larger hippocampal growth (area for learning and memory), higher biomarker (mRNA and proteins) levels, and more neurons and longer neuron growth.
- In mice, OAA also appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect in the brain.
What it means:
- OAA has demonstrated the ability to alter important brain functions and increase neurogenesis in a mouse model.
- This treatment could become a useful method to stimulate neurogenesis in the hippocampus patients with dementia and Alzheiners disease.