Neuronal microtubules support intracellular transport, facilitate axon growth, and form a basis for neuronal morphology. While microtubules in nonneuronal cells are depolymerized by cold, Ca(2+), or antimitotic drugs, neuronal microtubules are unusually stable. Such stability is important for normal axon growth and maintenance, while hyperstability may compromise neuronal function in aging and ...

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...

Aging is the most important risk factor for human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Pathologically, these diseases are characterized by the deposition of specific protein aggregates in neurons and glia, representing the impairment of neuronal proteostasis. However, the mechanism by which aging affects the proteostasis system and promotes protein aggregatio...

aged humans [3], rats [4], and mice [5] perform poorly in Background: Advancing age is typically accompanied tasks that require spatial learning strategies, suggesting by deficits in learning and memory. These deficits occur age-related impairments in hippocampal function. independently of overt pathology and are often considThe exact cause of these age-related deficits in hippoered to be a par...

Aging is a common major risk factor for many neurological disorders resulting in cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Novel results from the fields of molecular neuroscience and aging research provide evidence for a link between decline of various cognitive, executive functions and changes in neuronal mechanisms of intracellular trafficking ...

Gene expression studies suggest that aging of the human brain is determined by a complex interplay of molecular events, although both its region- and cell-type-specific consequences remain poorly understood. Here, we extensively characterized aging-altered gene expression changes across ten human brain regions from 480 individuals ranging in age from 16 to 106 years. We show that astrocyte- and...

Aging is a common major risk factor for many neurological disorders resulting in cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Novel results from the fields of molecular neuroscience and aging research provide evidence for a link between decline of various cognitive, executive functions and changes in neuronal mechanisms of intracellular trafficking ...