Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41283974›Full record

ArticleGeroScience2026

A ketogenic diet improves memory in females in the APOE4 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Jacopo Di Lucente, Jennifer M Rutkowsky, Alfredo Errico Provenzano, Giuseppe Persico, Zeyu Zhou, Lee-Way Jin, Jon J Ramsey, Claire B Montgomery, Kyoungmi Kim, Marco Giorgio and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in GeroScience, 2026. 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. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
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

12 authors.

Jacopo Di LucenteDepartment of Pathology and MIND Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5312-5542
Jennifer M RutkowskyDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0046-7693
Alfredo Errico ProvenzanoDepartment of Experimental Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20139, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6827-5412
Giuseppe PersicoDepartment of Experimental Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20139, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6720-0726
Zeyu ZhouDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6347-0646
Lee-Way JinDepartment of Pathology and MIND Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9729-1032
Jon J RamseyDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1927-5365
Claire B MontgomeryDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1107-1029
Kyoungmi KimDepartment of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8661-7508
Marco GiorgioDepartment of Experimental Oncology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, 20139, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-5842-6042
Izumi MaezawaDepartment of Pathology and MIND Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8666-3520
Gino A CortopassiDepartment of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. gcortopassi@ucdavis.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2563-4133

Funding

Research Project: Pathologic Significance of Maternal AutoantibodiesP50HD103526 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI LEONARD J. ABBEDUTO, Melissa Dawn Bauman · 2020 to 2026
$9.7M
NIH HHS 2U2CDK092993NIH HHS 5P01AG062817NIH HHS P50HD103526
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), increasing AD risk about fourfold in ~ 34 million American and ~ 75 million European females. APOE4 carriers exhibit cerebral metabolic deficits decades before clinical onset. We previously demonstrated that ketogenic diet (KD), a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet promoting ketone metabolism, confers cognitive benefits in aged C57BL/6 mice, and in the PS1/APP mouse model of early-onset AD. Here, we evaluated the effects of KD in a humanized APOE4 AD mouse model. KD significantly improved composite cognitive performance and spatial working memory, with pronounced effects in females. Synaptic plasticity, measured via long-term potentiation (LTP), was likewise enhanced exclusively in females. Transcriptomic and protein analyses revealed KD-induced activation of CREB pathway, marked by increased phosphorylation of ERK and CREB in female brains. Moreover, KD selectively reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in females. These findings demonstrate sex-specific neuroprotective effects of KD in APOE4 mice and suggest its potential therapeutic role in mitigating AD risk in APOE4-positive women.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseApolipoprotein E4Diet, KetogenicAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHumansLong-Term PotentiationMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicSex FactorsApolipoprotein E4Alzheimer’s diseaseAPOECognitionInflammationKetogenic dietMemory

Identifiers

PMID41283974
PMCPMC12972429

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.