December 25, 2025
Big NAD vs Big Skeptic Energy
Alzheimer's can be reversed to achieve full neurological recovery in animals
Miracle in mice? Hope surges, skeptics rage, and shoppers hunt for a brain-fuel fix
TLDR: Scientists say a drug restored the brain’s energy and reversed Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice. Comments split: hopeful families cheer, while skeptics warn mouse models aren’t human and tell folks not to chase supplements or mystery drugs. Huge if true, but the community’s drama meter is red-hot.
A bold new study claims Alzheimer’s-like damage in mice was fully reversed by restoring the brain’s “energy balance” using a drug called P7C3-A20. Cue the internet meltdown. One camp is shouting hope at last, waving around the claim that even “advanced disease” mice got their memory back. The other camp is firing off the classic meme: “mouse cured of human disease again.” Skeptics like ltbarcly3 say this isn’t the 70-year slow-burn human version of Alzheimer’s, and critics like jtrn accuse the reporting of crossing into “outright lying” for overselling genetic mouse models.
Then came the supplement wars. NAD+ (the energy molecule that dips with age) has fans who’ve been popping NMN pills; commenters quip NMN looks like a dud, so is this the real Big NAD Energy? A_D_E_P_T casually drops “you can buy the drug,” triggering frantic replies and mod warnings of “do not self-medicate.” Others point to the drop in a blood marker tied to Alzheimer’s as “proof” something real happened, linking the study in Cell Reports Medicine. Meanwhile, heartstrings get tugged: ganesh7 shares family loss and says the findings are “eyewatering.” Bottom line: hope vs. hype, with a shopping cart hovering in the middle.
Key Points
- •Study published Dec. 22 in Cell Reports Medicine reports that restoring brain NAD+ balance can prevent and reverse AD-like pathology in mice.
- •Researchers observed severe NAD+ decline in human AD brains and in two transgenic mouse models (amyloid and tau).
- •Treatment with the pharmacologic agent P7C3-A20 preserved or restored NAD+ balance, preventing disease onset and reversing advanced pathology.
- •Mice in both models achieved full recovery of cognitive function after NAD+ restoration.
- •Blood levels of phosphorylated tau 217, a clinical AD biomarker, normalized after treatment, supporting evidence of disease reversal.