Genes Explain Why the Brain Falters After 40
Genes Explain Why the Brain Falters After 40
Scientists Pinpoint Genes That May Lead to Mental Decline in Middle Age
June 9, 2004 -- Reaching age 40 may be a milestone for the mind as well as the body, according to a new study.
Researchers have isolated a set of genes in the human brain that don't quite work as well after age 40 as they used to and may help explain the natural mental decline that occurs with age.
In the study, published in the journal Nature, researchers looked at the functioning of genes in brain samples from deceased individuals ranging in age from 26 to 106 and identified a set of genes that are not as active in people over age 40.
These genes are thought to play a major role in helping different parts of the brain to make and break communication with each other, a function critical to learning and memory.
Researchers say the genes appear to decline in activity after about age 40 because they experience an increase in damage to their DNA with increasing age. Specifically, the DNA damage seemed to affect the parts of the genes involved in their regulation rather than just their function.
They say the findings suggest that DNA damage may reduce the production of proteins from selectively vulnerable genes that are involved in learning, memory, and communication within the brain rather than just impairing the overall function of brain cells.
SOURCE: Lu, T. Nature, June 9, 2004, advance online publication.
Genes Explain Why the Brain Falters After 40
Scientists Pinpoint Genes That May Lead to Mental Decline in Middle Age
June 9, 2004 -- Reaching age 40 may be a milestone for the mind as well as the body, according to a new study.
Researchers have isolated a set of genes in the human brain that don't quite work as well after age 40 as they used to and may help explain the natural mental decline that occurs with age.
In the study, published in the journal Nature, researchers looked at the functioning of genes in brain samples from deceased individuals ranging in age from 26 to 106 and identified a set of genes that are not as active in people over age 40.
These genes are thought to play a major role in helping different parts of the brain to make and break communication with each other, a function critical to learning and memory.
Researchers say the genes appear to decline in activity after about age 40 because they experience an increase in damage to their DNA with increasing age. Specifically, the DNA damage seemed to affect the parts of the genes involved in their regulation rather than just their function.
They say the findings suggest that DNA damage may reduce the production of proteins from selectively vulnerable genes that are involved in learning, memory, and communication within the brain rather than just impairing the overall function of brain cells.
SOURCE: Lu, T. Nature, June 9, 2004, advance online publication.
