A group of researchers has identified the genetic changes in the brain that induce agingas well as the area where these alterations are most present, which could contribute significantly to the development of therapies to slow down or control the deterioration caused by age.
The findings, described this Wednesday in the journal Nature, They are the result of genetic mapping of more than 1.2 million cells from 16 brain regions of young (two-month-old) and old (18-month-old) mice.within the framework of the ambitious BRAIN brain research initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health of the United States.
Science turns to the brain of mice to study the human brain since they share similarities in structure, function, genes and cell types. In this case, the aged mice used in the study are equivalent to middle age in humans.
By studying the brains of young and old mice, scientists have seen that there are dozens of specific cell types that undergo significant changes in their gene expression with age: While genes associated with inflammation increase their activity with aging, those related to neuronal structure and function decrease it.
Connection with diet
Furthermore, they have discovered a specific ‘hot spot’ in the brain, in the hypothalamus, where both decreased neuronal function and increased inflammation occur intensely.
The most significant changes in gene expression have been observed in cell types near the third ventricle of the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that produces hormones that control, among others, body temperature, food intake, and the use of energy received. of food, metabolism or the way the body uses nutrients.
This finding would imply, according to the authors, that There is a connection between diet, lifestyle, brain aging and genetic changes that can influence greater vulnerability to age-related brain disorders.
“Our hypothesis is that there are types of cells in the brain that become less efficient with age and contribute to the aging of the rest of the body,” explains one of the authors, Kelly Jin, a scientist at the Allen Institute of Health Sciences, in a statement. Brain from the American University of Washington.
New treatments
The study “lays the foundation for developing dietary or pharmacological interventions to combat cellular aging and maintain neurological health into old age”, adds the researcher.
“We want to develop tools that can target these types of cells, improve their function and see if we can slow the aging process,” says Dr. Hongkui Zeng, director of the Allen Institute.
This research aligns with other recent studies that have linked aging to metabolic changes, as well as research suggesting that intermittent fasting, a balanced diet, or calorie restriction could improve life expectancy.