Ghrelin hormone and hippocampal changes in Alzheimer’s disease
Official title: GOAT-mediated ghrelin deregulation and hippocampal pathology in Alzheimer's Disease
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11413336 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how changes in the hunger hormone ghrelin and its modifying enzyme (GOAT) relate to memory-region damage in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2018 |
| Project end | November 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $551,382 |
| NIH project number | 7R01AG059753-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413336 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or older adults at risk who are willing to provide blood samples and undergo clinical testing at the study site.
✕Less likely to help
People without Alzheimer’s-related conditions, those unable to travel to the study site, or those with very advanced illness may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers will measure levels of bioactive (acylated) ghrelin and the enzyme GOAT in blood and brain tissue from people with Alzheimer’s and in mouse models that mimic familial and late-onset AD. They will study how abnormal ghrelin signaling affects hippocampal synapses and memory-related behavior in mice and link those findings to human samples. The team will also test whether changing GOAT or ghrelin activity alters hippocampal pathology and survival in animal experiments. Findings will be compared to prior attempts using synthetic ghrelin mimetics that did not protect cognition.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to normalize ghrelin signaling and protect memory-related brain regions in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have reported disrupted ghrelin signaling in Alzheimer’s models but attempts with ghrelin-mimetic drugs produced mixed or harmful results, so this area remains novel and uncertain.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Du, Heng — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Du, Heng
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.