Aging ‘hot spot’ discovered in brain, researchers say: ‘major changes’

The brain plays an important role in the aging process and scientists believe they have identified the specific cells that control it.

In a study of mice, researchers at the Allen Institute identified certain cells that showed “major changes” with age, particularly in a specific “hot spot,” according to a press release.

The mice were chosen because their brains share “many similarities” with the human brain.

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“Our brains are made up of thousands of cell types that perform different functions,” Hongkui Zeng, study co-author and director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, told Fox News Digital. “Our study shows that different cell types are differently sensitive to the aging process.”

The research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal Nature.

The researchers used RNA sequencing and brain mapping tools to analyze more than 1.2 million brain cells from young mice (2 months old) and older mice (18 months old).

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The 18-month-old mice are roughly equivalent to a “middle-aged human,” the researchers said.

The researchers grouped the cells into 847 different types and also identified nearly 2,500 genes that changed with aging, according to Zeng.

Aging-related cells showed increased inflammation and decreased “neuronal function.”

“Changes in these genes indicate deterioration of neuronal structure and function in many neuronal and glial cell types, as well as increased immune response and inflammation in immune and vascular (blood vessel) cell types in the brain “, detailed Zeng.

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The cells that experienced the most significant changes were those in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain linked to food intake, energy balance and metabolism, the researchers noted.

This suggests that this area is an “aging hot spot,” Zeng noted, and that there may be a link between diet, lifestyle factors, brain aging and the risk of related cognitive disorders. at age.

“Aging is the most important risk factor for many brain diseases.”

“The study results reinforce the idea that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, promoting a healthy metabolic state, and reducing inflammation in the body and brain could slow or delay the process. of aging and reduce the risks of brain diseases associated with aging,” he said. said.

The hope is that this discovery could lead to new age-related therapies to improve the function of these cells and help prevent neurodegenerative diseases, according to the researchers.

“Aging is the most important risk factor for many brain diseases,” Zeng noted.

“Our study provides a highly detailed genetic map for which brain cell types may be most affected by aging and suggests new genetic and cellular targets for developing new treatments for aging-related brain diseases.”

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The study had some limitations, the authors acknowledged.

“The main limitation of our study is that the results are correlational,” Zeng said.

“We do not yet know whether gene expression changes observed in specific cell types are responsible for brain aging. Our study lays the foundation by providing a detailed genetic map and cellular targets.”

Zeng called for future studies to investigate the role of cells in aging and determine whether reversing the changes could delay the aging process.

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Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a certified neurologist of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, said the new research adds to existing evidence supporting the role of diet in human brain health.

The detailed “brain roadmap” will be very beneficial for future research on aging and possible therapies, according to Murray, who was not involved in the study.

It has been known for some time that inflammation plays a role in chronic age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, the neurologist noted.

“More and more evidence indicates that many chronic diseases are preventable, and it often comes down to diet and exercise,” he told Fox News Digital.

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“Changing the diet to exclude processed foods and adopting certain habits such as intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce this cellular inflammation that seems to lead to so many diseases.”