Brain HealthLow-dose rapamycin boosts brain blood flow in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's
Rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection and widely studied for slowing aging, may help protect the brain in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. University of Missouri researchers gave a low daily dose to healthy adults aged 45 to 65 for four weeks. Those who carried the high-risk APOE4 gene variant had improved blood flow in the brain, while non-carriers did not. Women showed the strongest benefits. This matters because reduced brain circulation can appear years before memory problems start, making it a possible early warning sign and a target for prevention. The work builds on earlier mouse studies in which rapamycin slowed brain aging and increased blood flow in APOE4 animals. The study is early and short, so it does not show that rapamycin prevents Alzheimer's, but it supports testing the drug as a way to slow brain aging in people most at risk.
