First Advisor

Corina Brown

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Document Type

Thesis

Date Created

12-1-2018

Department

College of Natural and Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Student Work, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Work

Abstract

There is evidence suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology can be improved through the use of mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition therapy. Regulation of mTOR is responsible for mediating cell growth by regulating cell processes such as autophagy, transcription, and translation. Evidence suggests that a ketogenic dietary (KD) treatment may result in decreased mTOR signaling, thus making KD a potential treatment for AD. The objective of this systematic review was to explore the efficacy of current AD medications and compare the results to preliminary KD treatment for AD. The biochemical relevance of mTOR inhibition for AD and the relevance to KD will be discussed. For the purpose of this research 218 articles were identified in the original search, 14 studies met inclusion criteria for data compilation. A summary of the data and generalizability of the results are discussed. KD treatment and NMDA antagonists receptors were found to be more effective than acetylcholinesterase inhibitiors.

Keywords

mTOR; ketogenic diet; donepezil; galantamine; memantine; rivastigmine; tacrine; Alzheimer’s disease

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

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