06/23/2025
A new study has revealed a surprising way to reverse memory loss linked to both aging and Alzheimer’s disease—without touching the brain’s notorious beta-amyloid plaques. Researchers in Brazil found that a protein called hevin, which is naturally released by brain support cells known as astrocytes, was able to reverse cognitive decline in mice, offering a new way to think about how dementia works and how it might be treated in the future.
Astrocytes aren’t as famous as neurons, but they’re essential. They support brain function by helping neurons connect and communicate, and they release important substances like hevin to help regulate this process. In this study, scientists noticed that levels of hevin were much lower in the brains of people and mice with Alzheimer’s disease. This led them to test whether increasing hevin could protect or even restore brain function.
By boosting hevin levels in the brains of aging and Alzheimer’s-prone mice, the researchers saw improvements in memory and learning. The results showed that the mice performed better on cognitive tasks—even though the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques, long thought to be a key cause of Alzheimer’s, remained unchanged.
