Project description:Aging is associated with distinct phenotypical, physiological, and functional changes, leading to disease and death. The progression of aging-related traits varies widely among individuals, influenced by their environment, lifestyle, and genetics. In this study, we conducted physiologic and functional tests cross-sectionally throughout the entire lifespan of male C57BL/6N mice. In parallel, metabolomics analyses in serum, brain, liver, heart, and skeletal muscle were also performed to identify signatures associated with frailty and age-dependent functional decline. Our findings indicate that declines in gait speed as a function of age and frailty are associated with a dramatic increase in the energetic cost of physical activity and decreases in working capacity. Aging and functional decline prompt organs to rewire their metabolism and substrate selection and toward redox-related pathways, mainly in liver and heart. Collectively, the data provide a framework to further understand and characterize processes of aging at the individual organism and organ levels.
Project description:Recently, the field of developmental neuroscience has aimed to uncover the developmental trajectory of the human brain and to understand the changes that occur as a function of ageing. Here, we present a dataset of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data covering the adult lifespan that includes structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI. Four hundred ninety-four healthy adults (age range: 19-80 years; Males=187) were recruited and completed two multi-modal MRI scan sessions at the Brain Imaging Center of Southwest University, Chongqing, China. The goals of the dataset are to give researchers the opportunity to map the developmental trajectories of structural and functional changes in the human brain and to replicate previous findings.
Project description:The study consists of three parts: 1) normal aging in liver and skin (cross-sectional); 2) treatment with rotenone in brain, liver and skin; 3) longitudinal study of 45 fish with different ages at their death measured at two different time points by fin clipping Jena Centre for Systems Biology of Ageing - JenAge (www.jenage.de)
Project description:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early stage that can result in dementia. MCI can be reversed, and diagnosis at an early stage is crucial to control the progression to dementia. Dementia is currently diagnosed based on interviews and screening tests; however, novel biomarkers must be identified to allow early MCI detection. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify novel biomarkers in the form of blood microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) for the diagnosis of MCI or early dementia. Blood samples were collected from C57BL/6NJcl male mice at four time points, including 4-week-old (4W), 8-week-old (8W), 36-week-old (36W) and 58-week-old (58W), and serum was isolated. Body weight and blood total cholesterol levels were increased, and blood alkaline phosphatase was decreased with aging. The 8W mice exhibited the highest cognitive ability in the Morris water maze test, whereas the 58W mice demonstrated decreased cognitive ability. The serum RNA concentrations of the 4W, 8W, 36W and 58W mice demonstrated no significant differences. Furthermore, small RNA levels were detected in the serum of all mice. miRNA microarray analysis revealed a >1.5-fold increase in the serum expression of two miRNAs (miR-21a-5p and miR-92a-3p) and a >1.5-fold decrease in the serum expression of two other miRNAs (miR-6769b-5p and miR-709) in 58W mice compared with those in 8W mice. In the future, we aim to further analyze aged mice to discover novel MCI biomarkers.
Project description:BackgroundCerebral perfusion is directly affected by systemic blood pressure, which has been shown to be negatively correlated with cerebral blood flow (CBF). The impact of aging on these effects is not fully understood.PurposeTo determine whether the relationship between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and cerebral hemodynamics persists throughout the lifespan.Study typeRetrospective, cross-sectional study.PopulationSix hundred and sixty-nine participants from the Human Connectome Project-Aging ranging between 36 and 100+ years and without a major neurological disorder.Field strength/sequenceImaging data was acquired at 3.0 Tesla using a 32-channel head coil. CBF and arterial transit time (ATT) were measured by multi-delay pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling.AssessmentThe relationships between cerebral hemodynamic parameters and MAP were evaluated globally in gray and white matter and regionally using surface-based analysis in the whole group, separately within different age groups (young: <60 years; younger-old: 60-79 years; oldest-old: ≥80 years).Statistical testsChi-squared, Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA, Spearman rank correlation and linear regression models. The general linear model setup in FreeSurfer was used for surface-based analyses. P < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsGlobally, there was a significant negative correlation between MAP and CBF in both gray (ρ = -0.275) and white matter (ρ = -0.117). This association was most prominent in the younger-old [gray matter CBF (β = -0.271); white matter CBF (β = -0.241)]. In surface-based analyses, CBF exhibited a widespread significant negative association with MAP throughout the brain, whereas a limited number of regions showed significant prolongation in ATT with higher MAP. The associations between regional CBF and MAP in the younger-old showed a different topographic pattern in comparison to young subjects.Data conclusionThese observations further emphasize the importance of cardiovascular health in mid-to-late adulthood for healthy brain aging. The differences in the topographic pattern with aging indicate a spatially heterogeneous relationship between high blood pressure and CBF.Level of evidence3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3.
Project description:Aging is associated with motor disorders that decrease the quality of life (QOL). Royal jelly (RJ), used as a dietary supplement, has shown various health benefits and, therefore, it has the potential to improve the QOL during aging. We have previously developed protease enzyme-treated RJ to avoid the anaphylactic response induced by RJ supplementation. However, the effects of a lifelong treatment with RJ on normal aging have not been fully clarified. In this study, we investigated the effects of enzyme-untreated RJ (NRJ) and enzyme-treated RJ (ERJ) on the aging process focusing on motor functions, by using a genetically heterogeneous (HET) mouse model experimentally endowed with genetic diversity. We performed four different physical performance tests (grip strength, wire hang, horizontal bar, and rotarod). We showed that the age-related impairment of the motor functions was significantly delayed in RJ-treated mice. Both NRJ and ERJ were similarly effective against these types of aging-associated declines. Histological analyses revealed that the RJ treatment affected the muscle fiber size at an advanced age. We also demonstrated that age-related changes in muscle satellite cell markers and catabolic genes were affected in RJ-treated mice. These results suggest that non-protein components of RJ improved the motor function in aging mice. These findings indicate that RJ has the potential to change the QOL during aging by regulating the motor function.