Aging Clocks Delineate Neuron Types Vulnerable Or Resilient To Neurodegeneration And Identify Neuroprotective Interventions
Our brains are incredibly complex, made up of many different types of nerve cells, or neurons. While we know that aging affects our brains, it’s been a mystery why some neurons seem to be more susceptible to age-related decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, while others remain resilient. New research sheds light on this by introducing a novel way to measure the “biological age” of individual neuron types.
Using a tiny worm called C. elegans as a model, scientists developed special “aging clocks” that can tell how old a specific neuron type truly is, based on its gene activity. What they found was surprising: even in young worms, some neurons were biologically “older” than others. These “pre-aged” neurons were the ones that degenerated rapidly, losing their function much sooner.
The key to this accelerated aging, it turns out, lies in how much protein these neurons are making. Neurons with very active protein production systems aged faster. This discovery is significant because it points to a potential target for intervention. When researchers used drugs to slow down protein production in these fast-aging neurons, they were able to protect them from degeneration.
Furthermore, the study showed that the aging patterns observed in these worms are similar to those seen in human brains, suggesting that these findings could be relevant to human health. The scientists also used computer-based screening to identify compounds that could potentially protect neurons. They found that a natural plant compound called syringic acid and a synthetic compound called vanoxerine were effective in delaying neuronal degeneration. This opens up exciting possibilities for developing new treatments to preserve brain function and prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Source: link to paper