Asprosin-PTPRD endocrine resistance links brain dysfunction and systemic wasting in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and systemic frailty, but mechanisms linking brain dysfunction to organismal wasting remain unclear. We identify PTPRD, a human-genetically supported regulator of tau pathology, as a high-affinity receptor for amyloid-β (Aβ). Aβ competitively binds the PTPRD extracellular domain, opposing the endogenous ligand asprosin and producing a state of functional signaling insufficiency despite preserved receptor and ligand levels. Circuit-specific Ptprd deletion reveals anatomically distinct memory domains, while increasing asprosin in two AD mouse models restores Ptprd signaling and improves memory in a stage- and circuit-dependent manner. In advanced disease, asprosin supplementation substantially improves weight loss, muscle atrophy, strength, endurance and frailty. These findings support a model in which Aβ disrupts a CNS metabolic signaling axis linking cognition and systemic physiology and suggest that restoring ligand-receptor balance at PTPRD may ameliorate key features of AD.