ZAP // FROM-2
Research could help develop therapies to delay or control cell deterioration caused by age.
A North American research group identified rats genetic changes in brain that induce the aging, as well as the area where these changes will be most present, was announced this Wednesday.
The results of this research, in the scientific journal Nature, could contribute to the development of therapies to delay or control cell deterioration caused by age.
The research team, from the Allen Institute for Brain Sciences, in Seattle, United States, carried out genetic mapping of more than 1.2 million cells from 16 regions of the mouse brain young (two months old) and old (18 months old), as part of a United States research initiative dedicated to creating neurotechnologies.
Rats share several similarities with humans regarding brain structure, function, genes, and cell types.
By studying the brains of young and old mice, researchers were able to identify that there are dozens of types of specific cells that undergo significant changes in their genetic expression with age.
The genes associated with inflammation increase their activity with aging, researchers say.
Furthermore, this project identified a specific area of the brain, in hypothalamus, in which both a decrease in neuronal function and an increase in inflammation occur intensely.
The most significant changes were observed in cells close to the third ventricle of the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that produces hormones that control, among others, body temperature, food intake, the use of energy received from food, metabolism and the way the body uses nutrients.
According to the researchers, this conclusion implies that there is a link between diet, lifestyle, brain aging and genetic changes which may influence greater vulnerability to age-related brain disorders.
“Our hypothesis is that there are types of cells in the brain that will remain less efficient with age and contribute to the aging of the rest of the body”, said the first author of the scientific article, Kelly Jin.
The researcher considers that the study points out the bases for the development of new dietary or pharmacological interventions to combat cellular aging and maintain neurological health into old age.
The research whose results have now been published is in line with other recent studies that link aging with metabolic changes and that suggest a balanced diet can improve life expectancy.
