Caspase inhibition in select olfactory neurons restores innate attraction behavior in aged Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Sensory and cognitive performance decline with age. Neural dysfunction caused by nerve death in senile dementia and neurodegenerative disease has been intensively studied; however, functional changes in neural circuits during the normal aging process are not well understood. Caspases are key regulators of cell death, a hallmark of age-related neurodegeneration. Using a genetic probe for caspase-3-like activity (DEVDase activity), we have mapped age-dependent neuronal changes in the adult brain throughout the lifespan of Drosophila. Spatio-temporally restricted caspase activation was observed in the antennal lobe and ellipsoid body, brain structures required for olfaction and visual place memory, respectively. We also found that caspase was activated in an age-dependent manner in specific s

SUBMITTER: Chihara T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4072539 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature