Brain activity and aging
2019-10-16 22:14:14.066588+02 by Dan Lyke 1 comments
Live fast, think hard, die young. At least in mice. Excessive brain activity linked to a shorter life
Researchers at Harvard Medical School analyzed brain tissue donated to human brain banks by people ranging in age from their 60s and 70s to centenarians who lived to be 100 or older. They found that people who died before their mid-80s had lower levels in their brains of a protein called REST that tamps down genes involved in sparking brain activity, compared to the very oldest people. REST had already been shown to be protective against Alzheimer’s disease. But they weren’t sure whether REST somehow protected people from death or was just a sign of further aging.
The study, published Oct. 16 in Nature, is based on findings from human brains, mice and worms and suggests that excessive activity in the brain is linked to shorter life spans, while suppressing such overactivity extends life.