Tamping down neurons’ energy use could treat neurodegeneration

A drug that slows protein production may help neurons affected by a genetic disease, report scientists. Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan and reduce symptoms in a broad range of diseases and, at the cellular level, is known to slow down the rate at which proteins are made. But the new research suggests that rapamycin could also target the neural damage associated with Leigh syndrome, a rare genetic disease, and potentially other forms of neurodegeneration as well.