TL;DR
Get workout gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A study published in PLOS Biology in 2023 found that reducing Menin in the hypothalamus worsened several age-related measures in mice, while restoring the protein improved some of them. D-serine given to older mice for three weeks improved performance on learning and memory tests, but the results do not establish that the amino acid prevents memory loss or benefits people.
Researchers led by Lige Leng of Xiamen University reported that restoring the protein Menin in a specific brain region improved memory, balance, bone mass and skin thickness in older mice within 30 days. In the same study, older mice given the amino acid D-serine for three weeks performed better on learning and memory tests; the findings are from animals and do not show that a supplement can prevent memory loss in people.
The study, originally published in March 2023 in PLOS Biology, examined Menin in the hypothalamus, a brain region involved in regulating functions including metabolism, sleep and hormone production. The researchers found that Menin levels declined with age in certain hypothalamic neurons in mice. They did not see the same decline in astrocytes or microglia, other types of brain cells.
To test whether the decline could contribute to aging-related changes, the team used genetically modified mice with reduced Menin activity. These animals developed more hypothalamic inflammation, thinner skin, lower bone mass and worse performance on cognitive tests; their lifespans were also modestly shorter. The findings suggest that Menin loss can contribute to several changes in mice, rather than merely tracking with age.
In a separate intervention, researchers used gene delivery to increase Menin in the ventromedial hypothalamus of 20-month-old mice. After 30 days, treated animals showed improvements in skin thickness, bone mass and tests of learning, memory and balance, alongside reduced inflammation and changes in metabolism. A separate survival analysis found that treated mice lived longer than untreated controls. The report does not provide the size of that lifespan difference here.
A Brain Pathway Tied to Aging
The findings add to research on how the brain may influence changes elsewhere in the body. The hypothalamus helps coordinate systems with effects across multiple organs, and this study links inflammation in that region with changes in cognition, skin and bone in mice. If further research confirms the pathway, it could help scientists understand how processes in the brain contribute to age-related decline.
The D-serine result offers a more specific lead on memory. The researchers linked Menin to PHGDH, an enzyme involved in the pathway that produces serine. As Menin declined, the pathway and levels of D-serine in the hippocampus also fell. D-serine helps regulate NMDA receptors, which support communication between nerve cells and are involved in learning and memory. Giving D-serine improved test performance in older mice, but that does not establish a treatment for age-related memory problems.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Menin to D-Serine
Menin is a protein that helps regulate gene activity and, in earlier work by Leng and colleagues, was identified as a restraint on inflammation in the hypothalamus. The new study followed that line of research by testing what happened when Menin declined and whether increasing it could change age-related measures.
D-serine is one form of the amino acid serine and has a role in brain signaling. It is not interchangeable with L-serine, the form commonly found in foods such as soybeans, eggs, fish and nuts. Eating foods containing L-serine is not equivalent to taking D-serine, and the mouse experiment does not establish a suitable or safe supplement dose for people. ScienceDaily’s October 2026 report describes the study and notes that research published since 2023 has added evidence about the brain’s role in aging; the findings described here remain preclinical.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Human Effects Remain Unknown
The reported experiments were conducted in mice, so it is not known whether restoring Menin or taking D-serine would improve memory, mobility, bone mass or other measures in humans. The findings also do not show that D-serine slows aging or prevents dementia. Better performance on mouse tests is not evidence of a lasting benefit or a human clinical effect.
The available report does not specify the D-serine dose, the number of animals in each intervention group, or the scale of the reported lifespan difference. It also does not establish how long the observed improvements lasted after treatment. D-serine’s relationship to L-serine can be confusing: ordinary serine-rich foods should not be described as providing the same intervention used in the experiments. No clinical recommendation follows from these results.
brain health supplements for aging
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Research Needed Beyond Mice
The next step is to determine whether the Menin–PHGDH–D-serine pathway operates similarly in people and whether its activity is associated with age-related changes in human cognition. Researchers would also need to test safety, dose and longer-term effects before D-serine could be considered for clinical use. For Menin, gene delivery into a particular brain region is an experimental approach; the mouse findings do not establish a practical or safe way to use it in people.
Until human studies test these questions, the results should be treated as a biological lead rather than a supplement recommendation. The study’s main contribution is evidence that changing a hypothalamic pathway affected several aging-related measures in mice and that D-serine altered memory-test performance in the same species.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the researchers find?
In mice, Menin levels declined with age in certain hypothalamic neurons. Reducing Menin worsened several age-related measures, while restoring it improved some outcomes. D-serine given to older mice also improved learning and memory test performance.
Does D-serine prevent memory loss in people?
The study does not answer that question. The reported supplementation experiment involved mice, and no human benefit or prevention of memory loss has been established.
Is D-serine the same as serine in food?
No. D-serine and L-serine are different forms. Foods such as eggs, fish, soybeans and nuts contain L-serine; eating them is not equivalent to the D-serine intervention tested in the mice.
What does Menin do in the study?
Menin is a protein involved in regulating gene activity. The researchers linked it to inflammation control in the hypothalamus and to a pathway affecting D-serine levels in the hippocampus.
Can the findings be used as a treatment recommendation?
No. The results are preclinical and do not establish an effective or safe human dose of D-serine or a human treatment using Menin. Clinical studies would be needed before drawing those conclusions.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
