Khaberni - As we age, our brains begin to age just like our bodies, and their production of new neurons decreases, which gradually leads to a deterioration of cognitive abilities such as learning and memory.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have unveiled a key mechanism that may help slow this natural decline by restoring the activity of exhausted neural stem cells.
How do brain cells decline with age?
Neural stem cells are responsible for generating new neurons, and as we age, these cells become more dormant, as if they are retiring after many years of activity.
One of the main reasons behind this decline is the erosion of telomeres, the protective caps of DNA ends, which reduce the cells' ability to divide and grow, increasing the likelihood of their death and leading to impaired neural regeneration.
According to "Science Advances" journal, the research team led a comprehensive experiment using human neural stem cells and mouse models, and identified a protein called DMTF1, a cyclin D-linked transcription factor, which contributes to stimulating the growth and division of neural stem cells.
The researchers pointed out that DMTF1 levels were higher in the brains of young, healthy individuals, and that increasing this protein in dormant cells stimulated them back to work, thereby restoring the production of new neurons similar to what occurs in the brains of the young.
DMTF1 works by activating two helper genes, Arid2 and Ss18, which in turn operate a set of genes that restore the biological cycle necessary for the creation of new neurons, thus overcoming the issue of short telomeres which usually limit cell activity.
The path towards a younger brain
This study adds to a growing body of research trying to understand how the brain ages and the possibility of slowing or even reversing some of its effects. While methods like a healthy diet and exercise help in maintaining the brain, researching future treatments for renewing neurons remains an attractive goal for scientists, although it is still far out of reach.
