Scientists Discover a Brain Region That Controls Aging

[n2doc]

Scientists at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine say they’ve discovered a brain region that may control aging throughout the entire body. By manipulating that region, they were able to extend the lives of mice by 20 percent. The finding, detailed in a paper published in Nature on May 1, may lead to new ways of warding off age-related diseases and increasing life spans.

The hypothalamus, an almond-size area of the brain, controls growth, reproduction, and metabolism but also initiates aging, according to the study. Dongsheng Cai, a physiologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, together with colleagues, realized this by tracking NF-?B, a molecule that controls DNA transcription and is involved in inflammation and the bodily response to stress. They found that in mice, NF-?B becomes more active in the hypothalamus with age.

Mice that were injected with a substance that inhibits NF-?B’s activity lived longer—up to 20 percent longer—while those injected with a substance that stimulated the molecule died earlier.

What’s more, the inhibitor seems to block the lamentable physical decline that occurs with age. Six months after the initial experiment, mice that had been injected with inhibitors performed better than controls on cognition and movement tests. “They also showed less age-related decline in muscle strength, skin thickness, bone mass, and tail-tendon integrity,” according to an article in Nature.

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http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-02/scientists-discover-a-brain-region-that-controls-aging#r=rss

another mouse model, but interesting anyway....

[bemildred]

1. Yep that is interesting. nt

[femmocrat]

2. Too late for my generation, unfortunately!

Gen X and Gen Y will enjoy it, though!

[Big Blue Marble]

3. There are supplements that suppress the overactivity of NF kappa B

You do not have to wait for an expensive drug therapy. You can supplement now
to support your hypothalamus, reduce inflammation and reduce the impact of stress
on your body.

Link



You would be surprised what you can do to help support healthy aging.

[RagAss]

4. Weren't there studies done in the 80's in Canada and Italy with melatonin and aging?

I recall the pineal gland and melatonin in mice being marched out with the same claims.

[SheilaT]

5. I know this isn't exactly the same thing,

but I've long noticed how people age at different rates. Some of it is physical, and a lot seems mental. If you start thinking like an old person, you get old. If you have a lot of health issues, no matter what the cause, you probably start feeling old before your time. And so on.