Aging alters brain structure and function and diabetes mellitus (DM) may accelerate this process. This study investigated the effects of type 2 DM on individual brain aging as well as the relationships between individual brain aging, risk factors, and functional measures. To differentiate a pattern of brain atrophy that deviates from normal brain aging, we used the novel BrainAGE approach, whic...

There is increasing evidence that experimental interventions that alter adrenal corticosteroid plasma concentrations can modulate aging changes in the rodent hippocampus. However, there still is very little evidence that elevation of endogenous corticosteroid levels within physiological ranges, such as occurs during chronic stress, can accelerate hippocampal aging-like changes. In addition, alm...

Individuals under chronic psychological stress can be difficult to identify clinically. There is often no outwardly visible phenotype. Chronic stress of sufficient magnitude not only impacts reproductive function, but also concomitantly elicits a constellation of neuroendocrine changes that may accelerate aging in general and brain aging in particular. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, a phen...

Alteration of VSMC (vascular smooth-muscle cell) physiology is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis. We hypothesize that aging up-regulates the expression of p16 INK4a in VSMCs, which may increase the susceptibility of blood vessels to vascular occlusive diseases. Aortic VSMCs were obtained from young and aged mice. Cells from aged mice grew more slowly than those f...

Neuronal networks in the prefrontal cortex mediate the highest levels of cognitive processing and decision making, and the capacity to perform these functions is among the cognitive features most vulnerable to aging. Despite much research, the neurobiological basis of age-related compromised prefrontal function remains elusive. Many investigators have hypothesized that exposure to stress may ac...

We have observed that berberine prolonged life span and improved viability of pupae and climbing activity of imagoes of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster maintained at 23°C. As a continuation of our studies of berberine effect on life span, we were interested to evaluate the effect of berberine of life span in flies maintained at a higher temperature (28°C) known to accelerate aging in wild typ...

OBJECTIVE We have demonstrated that bone marrow cells from young and wild-type (WT), but not old apoE-/-, mice are capable of preventing atherosclerosis. This study was performed to elucidate the numerical and functional changes underlying the efficacy difference between young and old bone marrow. METHODS AND RESULTS CD34+/VEGFR2+ conventional endothelial progenitor cells and lin-/cKit+/Sca-1...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are capable of protecting cells harboring mitochondrial damage. This protection is associated with the transfer of mitochondria through tunneling nanotubes (TNT) from MSC to the injured cells. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, the group of Anurag Agrawal shows that mitochondrial transfer is dependent on the levels of Miro1, a mitochondrial Rho-GTPase that regulates...

The dynamics of telomere attrition in human beings might shape the course of age-dependent, complex genetic traits. One of these traits is essential hypertension. Age-dependent telomere attrition could lead to critically shortened telomeres and aneuploidy (ie, the loss or gain of chromosomes) with a resultant mosaicism that will be variably expressed in different cells and tissues. The chromoso...