Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree
Master of Science
Program
Biological Science
Partner Organization
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Program Director
Patti Culross, MD, MPH
First Reader
Pankaj Kapahi, PhD
Second Reader
Johnathan Rylee, PhD
Abstract
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein aggregation, leading to neuronal degeneration and memory loss. Affecting over 24 million people worldwide, there is currently no cure, and treatments offer only temporary relief. Sleep disturbances are linked to AD progression, impairing the brain’s clearance of toxic proteins and promoting neuroinflammation. Changes in blood metabolites may provide new therapeutic targets and biomarkers. This study used the Drosophila melanogaster AD “tau” model to test the ability of a candidate metabolite to rescue dementia-associated phenotypes. The metabolite was supplemented in the ad libitum (AL) diet of our diseased fruit fly model to test for improved sleep and amelioration of neurodegenerative phenotypes. Lifespan assays, healthspan assays (such as activity to evaluate neuromuscular health), and sleep assays were employed. The results showed that the metabolite improves sleep by up to 60% and extends lifespan.
Included in
Cell and Developmental Biology Commons, Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons