Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40959937›Full record

ArticleAging cell2025

Alpha-Ketoglutarate Ameliorates Synaptic Plasticity Deficits in APP/PS1 Mice Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Sheeja Navakkode, Brian K Kennedy

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Aging cell, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Six Bioactive Small Molecules fromFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Sheeja NavakkodeHealthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0003-1754-711X
Brian K KennedyHealthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Funding

NUS Medicine
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive function. Increasing evidence indicates that alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), a key metabolite in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, can extend lifespan and healthspan across various animal models, raising interest in its potential neuroprotective effects in age-related disorders such as AD. Our previous research found that dietary supplementation with calcium alpha-ketoglutarate (CaAKG), a calcium derivative of AKG, enhances both lifespan and healthspan in mice. However, little is known about the neuroprotective role of AKG/CaAKG in AD. Here, we show that CaAKG could rescue synaptic deficits that are associated with AD. Treatment with AKG or CaAKG ameliorates long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA1 synapses in APP/PS1 mice, with a more profound effect in female AD mice than in males. The effects of CaAKG were mediated through an NMDA receptor-independent mechanism involving L-type calcium channels (LTCC) and calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs). Analysis of protein expression showed that AD hippocampal slices treated with CaAKG exhibited increased LC3-II levels, indicating enhanced autophagy. Similarly, rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, also rescued LTP deficits in AD mice, suggesting that the observed increase in autophagy may contribute to neuroprotection. Interestingly, rapamycin showed differential effects, as it rescued LTP in AD mice but blocked LTP in WT mice. We also observed that CaAKG facilitated synaptic tagging and capture (STC), a widely studied cellular model for associative memory, indicating its potential to facilitate associative memory. Overall, our findings suggest that CaAKG has neuroprotective effects in APP/PS1 mice. We propose CaAKG as a promising therapeutic target not only for aging but also for AD and potentially other age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting geroprotective strategies as viable alternatives for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-Protein PrecursorKetoglutaric AcidsNeuronal PlasticityPresenilin-1AnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHumansLong-Term PotentiationMaleMiceMice, TransgenicSynapsesAmyloid beta-Protein PrecursorKetoglutaric AcidsPresenilin-1alpha‐ketoglutarateAlzheimer's diseaseautophagyCaAKGCP‐AMPAhippocampuslong‐term potentiationNMDArapamycinsynaptic plasticity

Identifiers

PMID40959937
PMCPMC12610948

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.