In the aging brain, neurons begin to lose a hidden currency. Not just ATP, but GTP - that powers their ability to clear away toxic proteins. Without it, the cleanup crews stall, and amyloid builds up. A team at UC Irvine may have uncovered a way to recharge that system using two familiar compounds. In aged and Alzheimer’s model neurons, this pairing restored GTP, reactivated trafficking pathways, and swept away protein aggregates. In this episode, we follow the trail from dwindling cellular energy to revived cleanup machinery, and explore how these findings fit with human evidence.

00:00 Introduction: The Overlooked Clue in Aging Brains

00:47 The Energy Crisis in Aging Neurons

01:21 Natural Compounds to the Rescue

01:55 The UC Irvine Study: A Closer Look

03:05 Mechanisms Behind Nicotinamide and EGCG

04:37 Human Data: What Do We Know?

06:59 Comparing Strategies: Drugs vs. Natural Compounds

08:11 Challenges and Future Directions

09:27 Conclusion: A Promising but Unproven Strategy

PMID: 40661491