Longevity factor klotho enhances cognition in aged nonhuman primates
Stacy A. Castner, Shweta Gupta, Dan Wang, Arturo J. Moreno, Cana Park, Chen Chen, Yan Poon, Aaron C. Groen, Kenneth S. Greenberg, Nathaniel E. David, T. Boone, Mark G. Baxter, Graham V. Williams, Dena B. Dubal
Abstract
Cognitive dysfunction in aging is a major biomedical challenge. Whether treatment with klotho, a longevity factor, could enhance cognition in human-relevant models such as in nonhuman primates is unknown and represents a major knowledge gap in the path to therapeutics. We validated the rhesus form of the klotho protein in mice showing it increased synaptic plasticity and cognition. We then found that a single administration of low-dose, but not high-dose, klotho enhanced memory in aged nonhuman primates. Systemic low-dose klotho treatment may prove therapeutic in aging humans.