Menin protein loss drives aging, reversed in mice
Research in mice suggests a brain protein's decline accelerates aging, while a separate trial explores accelerated magnetic stimulation for methamphetamine use disorder.
New research points to a specific brain protein whose loss may drive multiple signs of aging, with restoration reversing effects in mice. Separately, an early clinical trial has tested an accelerated form of brain stimulation for people with methamphetamine use disorder and depression.
Menin Protein and Aging
Scientists led by Lige Leng of Xiamen University found that levels of a protein called Menin decline with age in specific neurons of the mouse hypothalamus. Restoring Menin in 20-month-old mice reversed age-related changes, including improved memory, balance, bone mass, and skin thickness, within just 30 days. The research, originally published in PLOS Biology, suggests the hypothalamus, a brain region regulating core bodily functions, matters in systemic aging through mechanisms involving inflammation.
Menin helps restrain inflammation and regulate gene activity. Genetically reducing Menin in mice led to increased brain inflammation, thinner skin, reduced bone mass, cognitive decline, and a modestly shortened lifespan. The restoration experiment indicated these changes were not only accompaniments but potentially drivers of aging. The team also discovered a link to D-serine, an amino acid key for brain signaling and memory. Declining Menin reduced D-serine production, and supplementing older mice with D-serine improved their learning and memory in three weeks.
Accelerated TMS for Methamphetamine Disorder
An early feasibility trial suggests an accelerated protocol of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may help treat methamphetamine use disorder alongside depression. The study, presented by Manish Jha of UT Southwestern Medical Center, involved 50 sessions of intermittent theta burst stimulation delivered over three weeks, with sessions spaced at least 50 minutes apart. Participants, who had moderate to severe methamphetamine or cocaine use disorder and at least mild depression, reported reductions in general methamphetamine craving and depression severity after 12 visits.
Jha noted there was little change in cue-induced craving but some improvement in the ability to resist using methamphetamine. He highlighted an urgent need for new treatments, as there are no FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine use disorder, and overdose deaths involving the drug have risen sharply. The accelerated protocol aims to improve upon conventional TMS schedules, which require daily sessions over many weeks and see high dropout rates. This open-label trial demonstrates the approach's feasibility for further study.
