The Daily Apple Podcast
We dive into all topics regarding the science of longevity along with some other subjects we find of interest with the hopes to provide useful information for everyone. This stems from our personal interest to optimize the human condition to not just live longer, but live better.
The Daily Apple Podcast
Can Rapamycin Reverse Brain Aging? Dr. Veronica Galvan on the Alzheimer's Research Surprising Even Her
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In this episode, Dr. Kevin White sits down with Dr. Veronica Galvan, Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Director of the Oklahoma Nathan Shock Center on Aging.
Most people think Alzheimer's is caused by a buildup of "bad" proteins in the brain. The real story is more complicated, and more hopeful. Galvan has spent her career studying what actually drives Alzheimer's disease, and her research has uncovered something surprising: a common, decades-old drug may be able to reverse brain damage that was thought to be permanent.
Together they explore:
- What's really happening in the brain during Alzheimer's, and why the "bad protein" explanation is incomplete
- Why aging itself, not genetics, is the single biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
- What your APOE gene type (2, 3, or 4) actually means for your risk
- How rapamycin, a drug originally used for organ transplants, reversed brain damage in animal studies
- "It wasn't improving. It was restoring." — Dr. Veronica Galvan
- Why some people's brains show significant Alzheimer's damage on scans but never lose their memory or function
- The simplest, most overlooked factor that can change your brain's trajectory as you age
Along the way, Galvan shares what pulled her from virology into Alzheimer's research, why she believes large-scale human trials on rapamycin are long overdue, and what she'd study next if funding were no object.
Whether you have a family history of dementia, want to understand the research behind the headlines, or are simply thinking ahead about how to protect your brain, this episode offers a clearer picture of where the science actually stands.
Guest
Dr. Veronica Galvan
Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Director, Oklahoma Nathan Shock Center on Aging
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