Boosting a Natural Molecule (NAD+) Reverses Alzheimer’s Brain Damage in New Study

University of Oslo & Ullevaal University Hospital (Norway), February 8, 2026

One of the key drivers of brain dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the protein tau. Under normal conditions, tau helps maintain the internal structure of neurons, supporting the transport systems that allow nerve cells to function properly. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, tau becomes abnormally modified and begins to clump together. These aggregates interfere with normal cellular transport, damage neurons, and ultimately contribute to memory impairment.

Now, an international team of scientists has identified a previously unrecognized way to protect the brain from this degeneration. Their research shows that increasing levels of the naturally occurring molecule NAD⁺ can counteract neurological damage linked to Alzheimer’s disease. 

Previous research has suggested that boosting NAD⁺ using precursor compounds such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can produce beneficial effects in animal models of AD and in early-stage clinical studies. However, the biological processes responsible for these effects have remained poorly understood,” explains first author Alice Ruixue Ai.

The new study reveals that NAD⁺ works through a previously unidentified RNA-splicing pathway. This pathway is regulated by a protein called EVA1C, which plays an essential role in the process of RNA splicing. RNA splicing allows a single gene to produce multiple isoforms of a protein, and one isoform may show distinctive effects on the other isoforms. Its dysregulation is one of the most recently acknowledged risk factors for AD.