The ketogenic diet improves memory in aging mice by enhancing synapse function through a newly identified molecular signaling pathway involving ketone bodies, particularly β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Future research seeks to replicate these benefits without the diet by targeting specific pathways. The ketogenic diet has both enthusiasts and critics among dieters, but it undeniably has a scientifically documented impact on memory in mice.
In their research, Buck scientists and a team from the University of Chile discovered how this high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet enhances memory in older mice. They identified a novel molecular signaling pathway that improves synapse function, shedding light on the diet’s benefits for brain health and aging. These findings, published in the June 5, 2024, issue of Cell Reports Medicine , offer new avenues for targeting memory effects at a molecular level without the need for a ketogenic diet or its byproducts.
“Our work indicates that the effects of the ketogenic diet benefit brain function broadly, and we provide a mechanism of action that offers a strategy for the maintenance and improvement of this function during aging,” said the study’s senior author, Christian González-Billault, PhD, who is a professor at the Universidad de Chile and director of their Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, and adjunct professor at the Buck Institute. Collaboration and Previous Findings “Building off our previous work showing that a k.