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How a Nasal Spray May Reverse Signs of Brain Aging
At the center of the treatment are extracellular vesicles. These are tiny biological packages that carry genetic material known as microRNAs. These molecules act like regulators, helping control how genes are turned on or off inside cells.
Getting those molecules into the brain has always been the challenge. The brain is protected by a barrier that blocks most drugs from entering, which is why many treatments require invasive procedures or struggle to work at all.
In this approach, delivered through a nasal spray, the vesicles travel along pathways that connect the nose directly to the brain, where immune cells absorb them and help regulate inflammation.
“The mode of delivery is one of the most exciting aspects of our approach,” said researcher Maheedhar Kodali in the press release. “Intranasal delivery allows us to reach, and treat, the brain directly without invasive procedures.”
Read More: Aging Brains Show Surprising Mix of Decline and Adaptation
Reducing Brain Inflammation to Restore Memory and Function
As the brain ages, low-level inflammation can build over time, especially in regions tied to memory. That process, sometimes called “neuroinflammaging,” has been linked to cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The nasal spray appears to interrupt that process at multiple levels. Once inside the brain, the microRNAs help suppress key inflammatory pathways that are known to become overactive with age. At the same time, they restore mitochondrial function, essentially helping brain cells regain the energy they need to operate.