Aging & Longevity

INTRODUCTION: TAS2R38 is a taste receptor gene located on human chromosome 7 that influences sensitivity to bitter tastes and has been implicated in innate immunity, glucose level, and human longevity. However, its potential association with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has not been explored. Identifying such a genetic connection could support developing new drugs or repurposing existing ones for AD treatment.

The gut microbiome influences brain function through the gut-brain axis via synthesis of neurotransmitters, production of metabolites affecting epithelial barrier integrity and immune modulation and signaling through the vagus nerve. In humans, microbiome diversity reflects healthy aging and predicts survival, while dysbiosis is increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and ALS. Fecal transplant studies in...

CONCLUSION: Age-related changes in balance control are task dependent. Older adults preserved static balance performance but demonstrated impaired reactive balance responses in dynamic tasks. Furthermore, static and dynamic balance rely on distinct control mechanisms, highlighting the need for separate assessments.

Action cancellation - the ability to rapidly cancel an initiated movement in response to unexpected events - has been extensively studied in the upper limb using the stop signal task (SST). During gait, action cancellation is critical to stop and modify steps to avoid unexpected hazards and prevent falls. By adapting the SST to step initiation, this study investigated how the anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) and foot-lift phases of forward stepping were influenced by action-cancellation...

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The acute inflammatory response is a highly coordinated programmed sequence that enables neutrophils to transmigrate from venules into tissues. Ideally self-limited, the active resolution phase produces specialized molecules that stimulate resolution and prevent collateral tissue damage from excessive neutrophil infiltration. The superfamily of pro-resolving molecules is termed specialized pro-resolving mediators including the essential polyunsaturated fatty acid-derived lipoxins, resolvins,...

Aging is often associated with a maladaptive "stiffness" strategy of postural control, which limits adaptability and increases fall risk. Complex visuomotor training (e.g., juggling) may counteract this decline, but the relationship between biomechanical reorganization and cognitive cost reduction remains unclear. We hypothesized that juggling would induce a shift from stiffness to "active monitoring" and reduce the dual-task cost. This exploratory secondary analysis of a randomized crossover...

Natural light is severely affected by human impact on Earth, yet little is known about the roles light receptors have outside vision and rhythmic processes, despite their tremendously wide abundance. Here we show that loss-of-function of the light-receptive cryptochrome (l-cry) in marine bristleworms significantly increases lifespan and adult size, similarly to wild-types reared in constant darkness. Quantitative transcriptomics revealed hormonal players crucial for invertebrate and vertebrate...

Partial cellular reprogramming can modulate aging-associated decline across multiple tissues. However, whether targeting memory-encoding ensembles within specific brain regions is sufficient to restore cognitive function has remained unknown. In this issue of Neuron, Berdugo-Vega et al. show that engram rejuvenation rescues memory deficits and restores epigenetic-transcriptional features and intrinsic excitability.

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White matter (WM) is a key substrate for interregional neural communication and cognitive function but the role of WM glucose metabolism in cognitive aging has been understudied. Using multimodal neuroimaging (MRI, FDG-PET, amyloid-PET) from 3142 participants (15,287 visits) across two studies, we examined the contribution of WM to cognition and identified divergent WM signatures. Higher glucose metabolism in expected WM (EWM; corpus callosum and cingulum) was associated with better cognition,...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone marrow (BM) play a role in the development of BM adipose tissue (BMAT). Here, we propose ways to restock the BM-MSC niche to meet the needs of BMAT in ageing, including the activation of pluripotent precursor cells, the breakdown of BM-MSC grafts and the mobilisation of extramedullary MSCs. It can be exploited to understand the BM-MSC-adipocyte axis in ageing and better target anti-ageing interventions.

Age-associated hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) dysfunction is accompanied by dramatic transcription changes, but it remains unclear whether specific transcripts could orchestrate these HSC aging phenotypes. Here, we perform epigenetic profiling in male mice to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying the HSC aging transcriptome and screen for potential aging driver genes. We identify a looping structure formed between part of the Btaf1 gene and the whole Ide gene in old HSCs which is...

Senescent cells contribute to degenerative processes in multiple tissues, including the retina. In the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), their accumulation is closely associated with retinal aging and disease progression. Eliminating senescent RPE cells has shown therapeutic potential, but conventional senolytics often lack the specificity required to spare non-senescent cells, raising safety concerns. To overcome this, we performed integrated transcriptomic analyses of male mouse-derived RPE...

The biological feasibility of human rejuvenation remains a subject of intense debate, yet answering this question is critical for guiding research strategies. Should aging research focus only on reversing aging in older individuals, or pausing its progression at mid-ages, be more accessible? Here, we attempt to address this question with evolutionary biology. Rejuvenation occurs in a few species, and, paradoxically, is typically induced by stress but not used under optimal conditions. Using...

The thymus is essential for establishing T cell diversity early in life, but undergoes profound involution with age and has therefore traditionally been regarded as largely nonfunctional in adults^(1,2). Here we propose that preserving thymic functionality is integral to adult health and longevity. We developed a deep learning framework to quantify thymic health from routine radiographic images and evaluated its association with longevity and risk of major age-associated diseases in two large...

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Treatment decisions in IDH-mutant oligodendrogliomas are shaped by tumor aggressiveness, underscoring the need for objective grading of these malignant brain tumors. We collect 302 primary and recurrent resections from oligodendrogliomas and perform Ki-67 staining, proteomics, and DNA methylation profiling. During tumor progression, DNA methylation of oligodendrogliomas changes along a continuum. This continuum is linked to increased epigenetic aging, methylation of transcription factors and...