Dr. Dubal wondered if it might be the key to finding effective treatments for dementia and other disorders of the aging brain. At the time, scientists only knew enough about Klotho to be fascinated by it.
Mice bred to make extra Klotho lived 30 percent longer, for instance. But scientists also had found Klotho in the brain, and so Dr. Dubal launched experiments to see whether it had any effect on how mice learn and remember.
The results were startling. In one study, she and her colleagues found that extra Klotho protects mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease from cognitive decline. “Their thinking, in every way that we could measure them, was preserved,” said Dr. Dubal...
Carl Zimmer
WOW! This is incredibly fascinating. As someone with extensive time caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease, I believe it should be widely available. No one should have to suffer from it. As far as a brain "turbocharger", there is no precedent I know of to draw from. Before it would be made public, I think wide debate should be undertaken to determine how it could ethically be made available. A high price would present a barrier from poor people getting access and widen the enormous gap that already exists between 1% and the 99%. Maybe used as a tool for researchers?
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