Your body clock, brain health and Alzheimer’s protection have a deep connection, confirms study

Sleep and circadian rhythms are deeply connected to brain health. Experts are now beginning to understand the molecular links that might one day let them intervene (Image: Pexels)

Have you ever wondered if resetting your body’s natural rhythm could help keep your mind sharper for longer? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis believe it might soon become reality. Their latest findings suggest that our body clock, the same mechanism that decides when we sleep, wake, and eat, may hold the key to slowing, or even preventing, Alzheimer’s disease.

The link between body rhythm and brain health

The study, published in Nature Aging, explored how tinkering with the body’s internal timing system can influence brain health. Led by Professor Erik Musiek, a neurologist at WashU Medicine, and Dr Jiyeon Lee, the research team looked closely at a protein called REV-ERBα, a key player in the body’s circadian rhythm.

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This protein helps control the daily cycles of metabolism and inflammation, but its role in the brain has remained something of a mystery — until now. When the team blocked REV-ERBα in mice, they found it led to a remarkable effect: reduced tau accumulation, the toxic protein known to damage brain cells in Alzheimer’s.

At the heart of this discovery lies another molecule, NAD+, short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It’s vital for metabolism, energy production, and DNA repair, but unfortunately, NAD+ levels tend to drop as we age. Previous studies had shown that REV-ERBα can suppress NAD+ in other tissues, so the team wondered what would happen if they removed this protein from the brain altogether. When they genetically deleted REV-ERBα—both throughout the body and specifically in astrocytes (the brain’s support cells)—NAD+ levels rose significantly.

The findings suggest that removing or suppressing REV-ERBα directly boosts the brain’s ability to maintain NAD+ levels, potentially shielding it from age-related decline.

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What the study suggests:

• Blocking REV-ERBα in mice raised NAD+ levels in the brain.
• Higher NAD+ helped reduce tau accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
• Drug treatments that inhibit REV-ERBα showed similar protective effects.
• The study hints that adjusting circadian rhythm could slow brain ageing.
• Findings may pave the way for new Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s therapies.

Professor Musiek shares, “We’ve known for years that sleep and circadian rhythms are deeply connected to brain health. Now, we’re beginning to understand the molecular links that might one day let us intervene.” The idea that simply fine-tuning our biological rhythm could one day slow down diseases like Alzheimer’s feels like something out of a hopeful new era of medicine, where a better night’s sleep might not just clear your head, but protect your mind for life.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.