GoKawiilMouse study links Pla2g2f enzyme to preserved memory in old age
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that a phospholipase enzyme called Pla2g2f rises with age in mouse hippocampal cells and is associated with lower brain inflammation and healthier neuron connections. Mice engineered to lack the gene showed increased inflammation and neuron degradation with age, while mice with excess amounts had less inflammation and performed better on spatial memory tests. The findings, published October 15 in Nature Neuroscience, also drew on human and cell-based data.
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The results suggest the enzyme may act as a natural defense that helps some brains resist age-related decline, according to study co-author Amar Sahay, though this remains based on animal and cellular evidence rather than clinical trials in people. Outside researcher Timothy Hohman called the approach a useful way to study resilience mechanisms that are hard to investigate directly in humans. If confirmed, such findings could eventually inform research into treatments aimed at protecting memory during aging or in neurodegenerative disease.
- Pla2g2f enzyme levels rise with age and correlate with reduced brain inflammation in mice
- Mice lacking the enzyme showed more inflammation and neuron loss; those with excess showed better memory and neuron connectivity
- Findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, point to a possible resilience mechanism but require further human research
Source: nature.com — Mullard, 2026-10-16
Published there as: “Memory stays strong in old age when this brain enzyme is active”
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