Alzheimer's Breakthrough: Scientists Discover Brain Switches That Boost Neprilysin and Clear Amyloid Plaques

Scientists uncovered brain receptor “switches” that boost neprilysin, clear Alzheimer’s amyloid plaques, and improve memory in mice, opening a promising path toward safer, oral dementia treatments. (Credit: Pixabay, geralt)

Scientists in Sweden and Japan have identified two "brain switches" that, when activated, boost a natural enzyme called neprilysin, clear amyloid plaques, and improve memory in mice with Alzheimer's‑like changes.​

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science report that two somatostatin receptors, known as SST1 and SST4, work together to control how much neprilysin is available in the hippocampus, a key memory center in the brain. Neprilysin plays a major role in breaking down amyloid beta, the protein that clumps into sticky plaques in Alzheimer's disease.