# Chronic inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin modulates cognitive and non-cognitive components of behavior throughout lifespan in mice

**URL:** <https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** rapamycin, chronic\
**Created:** [October 28, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106 "2024-10-28T18:59:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve\_Combi](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/steve_combi/32/23927_2.png) [@Steve\_Combi](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/Steve_Combi)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/1 "2024-10-28T18:59:51Z")

</div>

Is it time to figure out dosing for safe, chronic use of Rapa?? or are mice just lucky?

> Chronic rapamycin decreased mTORC1 but not mTORC2 activity in mouse brains.

- Chronic rapamycin enhanced learning and memory in young adult C57BL/6J mice.
- 

```
Chronic rapamycin improved memory in aged mice.

```

- 

```
Chronic rapamycin decreased anxiety and depressive-like behavior at all ages.

```

- 

```
Monoamines were increased by rapamycin in midbrain but not in hippocampus.

```

> **[Chronic inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin modulates cognitive and non-cognitive...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3454865/)**
>
> Aging is, by far, the greatest risk factor for most neurodegenerative diseases. In non-diseased conditions, normal aging can also be associated with declines in cognitive function that significantly affect quality of life in the elderly. It was ...

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/john_hemming/32/6542_2.png) [@John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/John_Hemming)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/2 "2024-10-28T20:14:53Z")

</div>

We are not mice. I think there are plenty of reasons why people should only take rapamycin intermittently. I personally think most rapamycin users take it too often.

I accept there is a valid disagreement about this. However, I think its main function is mitophagy and that having a higher less frequent spring clean of the duff mitochondria is better than weekly tidying.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KarlT](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/karlt/32/12733_2.png) [@KarlT](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/KarlT)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 3:14am UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/3 "2024-10-29T03:14:45Z")

</div>

Based on past forum activity, I’m guessing someone has already tried this or soon will.  
I personally agree with John.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adssx](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/adssx/32/14464_2.png) [@adssx](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/adssx)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:59am UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/4 "2024-10-29T08:59:06Z")

</div>

> [@John\_Hemming](#):
>
> However, I think its main function is mitophagy and that having a higher less frequent spring clean of the duff mitochondria is better than weekly tidying.

I thought about this while reading this paper: [The mTOR Signaling Pathway in Cardiac Aging](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/the-mtor-signaling-pathway-in-cardiac-aging/7738)

> The “rapamycin memory” discussed above is not limited to cardiac aging. Transient rapamycin treatment for 3 months, initiated for ~20-21 months-old mice, is sufficient to increase life expectancy by ~40%-60% and improve several measures of healthspan in middle-aged mice. A recent study reported a long-lasting geroprotection from brief rapamycin treatment in early adulthood. This was the result of a persistent increase in intestinal autophagy in Drosophila. This “memory” was confirmed by enhanced gut barrier function and Paneth cell architecture in mice exposed to short-term RP treatment.

Too high a dose can also be risky:

> In the heart, the hyperactivation of mTORC1 leads to pathological growth (cardiac hypertrophy) and cardiac dysfunction, as seen in aging and in response to pressure overload stress. Moderate suppression of mTORC1 by calorie restriction, rapamycin or some genetic models of reduced mTORC1 has been shown to ameliorate cardiac aging and pressure-overload-induced heart failure. In contrast, cardiac-specific ablation of mTORC1 leads to dilated cardiomyopathy, as it may suppress protein synthesis required for adaptive cardiac hypertrophy. The role of mTORC2 in cardiac aging is less defined. In contrast to the detrimental effect of mTORC1 activation, overexpression of the mTORC2 component in Drosophila is cardioprotective; however, the role of mTORC2 in mammals remains to be elucidated.

What’s your rapa dosing schedule @John_Hemming?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/john_hemming/32/6542_2.png) [@John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/John_Hemming)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 10:41am UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/5 "2024-10-29T10:41:58Z")

</div>

I am working on about every 6 weeks. There is a detailed topic on my sep 23 dose

> [@Second High Dose of Rapamycin topic for results](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/second-high-dose-of-rapamycin-topic-for-results/16926/3):
>
> The forum software is complaining about me posting a third post and I am not sure where this goes now. Breakfast in all of these is two pieces of bacon, some baked beans and a toasted rustic roll from the co-op. Lunch tends to be chia seeds and apple apart from when I go out for dinner. I normally have a salad for dinner, but often drink with it. So the jump on this is crisps in the pub. On the Friday you can see when I went to the pub and has some crisps and beer. On the Monday I took the rapamycin at 7.20am. You can also see an early small peak from half a grapefruit. I don’t think you can see any effect from Rapamycin that quickly until perhaps around11am on the Tuesday when the baseline glucose ticks up. I think here you can see the effect of Rapamycin increasing and the night of 26-27 having moved up quite a way. What you can also see (since rapamycin had an effec) is the development of a double jump in glucose after breakfa…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Olafurpall](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/olafurpall/32/12480_2.png) [@Olafurpall](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/Olafurpall)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 3:33am UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/6 "2024-11-06T03:33:03Z")

</div>

> [@John\_Hemming](#):
>
> We are not mice. I think there are plenty of reasons why people should only take rapamycin intermittently. I personally think most rapamycin users take it too often.

A strong argument against this is that young people have lower mTOR than older people and age more slowly. They don’t just have lower mTOR once or twice a month, they have lower mTOR every day. The best argument for taking it intermittently is to avoid mTOR2 inhibition. That can be achieved with a dose as frequent as once a week if the dose is not too high. But for very high doses a lower frequency would be needed to achieve that.

Another argument against this is that calorie restriction, the best proven intervention to extend lifespan, reduces mTOR every day, not just once a week or month.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/john_hemming/32/6542_2.png) [@John\_Hemming](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/John_Hemming)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:29am UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/7 "2024-11-06T07:29:41Z")

</div>

> [@Olafurpall](#):
>
> Another argument against this is that calorie restriction, the best proven intervention to extend lifespan, reduces mTOR every day, not just once a week or month.

I would be surprised if people on calorie restriction had low mTOR continually through the day. You would expect mTOR to be activated when they eat.

I am open to evidence that this is not the case if there is such evidence, but you need to continually measure mTOR rather than measure it at one stage during the day.

Similarly with young people I would not think mTOR is continually inhibited.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Olafurpall](https://www.rapamycin.news/user_avatar/www.rapamycin.news/olafurpall/32/12480_2.png) [@Olafurpall](https://www.rapamycin.news/u/Olafurpall)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://www.rapamycin.news/t/chronic-inhibition-of-mtor-by-rapamycin-modulates-cognitive-and-non-cognitive-components-of-behavior-throughout-lifespan-in-mice/17106/8 "2024-11-06T12:39:28Z")

</div>

I agree that it’s going to be activated whenever they eat so normally it’s going to be activated for many hours during the day in people on calorie restriction, although the activation is likely to be a bit smaller and shorter after each meal since they eat less. However, it will most certainly be inhibited for more and for longer between meals, including during sleep in calorie restriction, so in that sense I think overall daily mTOR is going to be lower on average every day not just some parts of the week or month. I agree that mTOR isn’t going to be continually inhibited in young people. Young people are more sensitive to both anabolic and catabolic stimuli so they will most lkely have strong mTOR activation during meal times but lower mTOR between meals, so my guess is their 24h AUC is lower than in older people, because they drop to lower levels every time they are not stimulating mTOR by eating.
