# Calorie Restriction, Body Temperature and Alzheimers Disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · SAN DIEGO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2024 · $243,750

## Abstract

Calorie restriction (CR) has anti-aging effects, prolongs lifespan and reduces the incidence of age associated
diseases. Experimental evidence in animal models indicates that CR ameliorates the neuropathologic and
behavioral abnormalities seen in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our previous work
demonstrated that one mechanism by which CR promotes longevity is by reducing core body-temperature (Tb).
Since virtually all proteins are sensitive to heat denaturation, nature has created cellular systems to protect cells
from even small quantities of abnormally folded toxic proteins as far back in evolution as bacteria. We now
hypothesize that the beneficial effects that CR has on the AD models are at least in part due to its ability to
reduce Tb and the subsequent proteotoxic stress. Here we propose experiments to test our hypothesis regarding
the role of lowering body temperature as being a major factor in both life extension and the salutary effect of CR
in the well validated Tg2576 transgenic model of human AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10909300
- **Project number:** 5R21AG083640-02
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** BRUNO CONTI
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $243,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10909300

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10909300, Calorie Restriction, Body Temperature and Alzheimers Disease (5R21AG083640-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10909300. Licensed CC0.

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