Abstract This project will examine the protective effects and mechanisms of dietary taurine supplementation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We will measure taurine uptake into the brain and taurine synthesis rates using labeled taurine and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Then, we will determine how much protection taurine dietary supplementation (at various doses) provides against progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms in an AD mouse model. The protection will be measured using a battery of in vivo imaging markers (MRI, MRS, positron emission tomography (PET), behavioral tests and post mortem markers of neuroinflammation, AD pathology and neurochemistry (MRS) taken from the same mice. Then, the same post mortem measurements will be made in human brain tissue from a brain bank with very well characterized specimens including healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment and pathologically confirmed Alzheimer’s disease. The end result of the project should be a better understanding of the role of taurine in the brain and good test of a novel therapeutic that can also be detected in live human brain (a “theranostic”). This compound should be readily translatable to human populations due to its widespread use among athletes as a dietary supplement.

Narrative This project will examine the protective effects of dietary taurine supplementation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The project will examine multiple components of taurine metabolism and brain uptake using magnetic resonance imaging techniques (MRI). We will also compare MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) techniques and measures of inflammation with a battery of pathologic measurements to determine how well the taurine is working. The end result of the project should be a better understanding of the role of taurine in the brain and good test of a novel therapeutic that would be readily applicable to human populations.