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Tau protein can sneak into brain cells’ energy factories—and wreak havoc
Study of mitochondria suggests new treatment strategy for Alzheimer’s and other diseases
Nearly half of dementia cases may be linked to risks you can change
A long-term brain study found that common risks such as smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, and high blood lipids were strongly linked to damage associated with vascular dementia. The findings suggest that healthier lifestyle choices could help delay dementia by reducing several harmful brain changes at once.
Tau-induced mitochondrial reverse electron transport drives neurodegeneration
Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau are pathological hallmarks of tauopathies. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also a common feature of tauopathies. The mechanistic link between tau abnormalities and mitochondrial dysfunction and its relationship to the physiological function of tau, however, is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that tau regulates mitochondrial reverse electron transport (RET), which produces excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduces the NAD^(+)/NADH ratio, and is activated...
The emerging role of NADPH oxidases (NOX) in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a slow-progressing neurodegenerative disease, mainly characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and intracellular hyperphosphorylated Tau protein, along with the generation of free radicals. In normal physiology free radicals play a promising role. However, the imbalance in the formation and clearance of the free radicals or reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) disrupts redox homeostasis, resulting in oxidative stress....
alpha-Synuclein blocks endoplasmic reticulum co-translational protein translocation early in Parkinson's disease
The primary mechanism and subcellular localisation of α-synuclein toxicity in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis remain unknown. We spatially and temporally resolved proteomic and transcriptomic changes in human iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons with increasing burden of pathological α-synuclein. We found that misfolded α-synuclein proteoforms, signified by the formation of nanoscale intraneuronal puncta, are associated with impaired translocon function at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We show...
Why studying females reveals more about aging: The reproductive resilience hypothesis for the evolution of sex-specific aging
Classical evolutionary theories of aging, including antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) and the disposable soma theory (DST), explain why aging exists but are often applied without considering how sex-specific reproductive strategies shape the forces of natural selection on survival. They do not explain why females consistently outlive males across taxa, despite their greater reproductive investment, or why in some contexts, such as eusocial queens, extraordinary fecundity is coupled with exceptional...
Tau-induced mitochondrial reverse electron transport drives neurodegeneration
Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau are pathological hallmarks of tauopathies. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also a common feature of tauopathies. The mechanistic link between tau abnormalities and mitochondrial dysfunction and its relationship to the physiological function of tau, however, is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that tau regulates mitochondrial reverse electron transport (RET), which produces excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduces the NAD^(+)/NADH ratio, and is activated...
Acute Lung Injury in the Context of Aging: Pathogenetic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies
Acute lung injury (ALI) and its severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), remain major challenges in critical care medicine, characterized by alveolar-capillary barrier disruption, excessive inflammation, and impaired gas exchange. With the growing aging population, aging has emerged as an important determinant of ALI/ARDS susceptibility, progression, and prognosis. Aging promotes pulmonary vulnerability through multiple interconnected mechanisms, including immune dysregulation,...
Aging Research, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence
No abstract
Response-optimised training improves learning of a complex motor task and closely related motor tasks
Regular physical exercise is essential for promoting healthy aging and longevity. In older adults with varying physical and cognitive decline, optimising exercise interventions is crucial to maximise benefits. A promising approach to achieve this goal is by adjusting task demands to individual abilities in turn preventing over- or underloading their abilities. In the field of motor learning, it is currently unclear whether such an optimised training improves not only performance on the trained...
Neuronal expression of bromodomain proteins alters neuronal health and peripheral protein homeostasis to promote longevity
Longevity and stress resilience require precise coordination of gene expression programs across tissues. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of the chromatin reader bet-1 specifically in neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans promotes organismal longevity and stress resistance via cell-nonautonomous signaling. Neuronal bet-1 elicits a neurotransmitter-dependent signal that activates the conserved stress-responsive transcription factor HSF-1 in the intestine, enhancing proteostasis, oxidative...
Cholesterol enhances lysosome-autophagosome fusion for better alpha-synuclein clearance in GBA L444P-mutated Parkinson disease
Mutations in lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GBA), the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease (PD), exacerbate α-synuclein pathology through unclear mechanisms. Here, we report, in a large cohort, that GBA-mutated PD patients exhibit lower serum cholesterol levels. By introducing the most common GBA variant in our cohort, L444P, into human α-synuclein knock-in mice, we noted that the mice exhibited behavioral and molecular pathological PD features at 12 months of age....
STING deficiency does not rescue short telomere-mediated aging phenotypes and longevity in TERC- or TERT-telomerase deficient mice
The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway plays a key role in responding to viral genomes and endogenous DNA byproducts by inducing inflammatory pathways. Its roles in senescence and in the response to telomere shortening have also recently been proposed. To address its role in age-related pathologies and decreased longevity associated with short telomeres, we generated double-mutant mice deficient for STING and either the telomerase RNA component (TERC)...
Validation of an Automated Brief Frailty Screening Tool Using Interactive Voice Response in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
CONCLUSIONS: A fully automated IVR system is a valid and feasible tool for frailty screening in community-dwelling older adults. Requiring no internet or human intervention, it offers a scalable solution for population-level frailty surveillance, especially in resource-limited settings.
HNRNPC Succinylation Influences the Neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's Disease Through YME1L1-Mediated Mitochondrial Metabolism
Mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal energy metabolism are important pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigates how mitochondrial protease YME1L1 affects mitochondrial function and its upstream regulation in the pathogenesis of AD. The AD model was established by using APP/PS1 transgenic mice, primary neurons treated with Aβ1-42, and HT22 cells. The silencing of YME1L1 was achieved to evaluate its effects on mitochondrial function and OPA1 protein hydrolysis....
LRRK2 regulates synaptic function through modulation of actin cytoskeletal dynamics
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystemic disorder that manifests through motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor dysfunction results from the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Increasing evidence suggests that synapse dysfunction precedes neuronal loss by years. Still, early synaptic alterations in PD remain poorly understood. Here, we integrate literature meta-analysis and multi-omics with biochemical, imaging, and electrophysiological measurements...
Molecular switches of SQSTM1: the impact of post-translational modifications on autophagy and neurodegeneration
SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) is an important receptor protein involved in many cellular signaling processes, including macroautophagy/autophagy. It is a molecular hub for cellular homeostasis and cellular responses. Within autophagy, SQSTM1 targets ubiquitinated cargo for degradation, maintaining cellular proteostasis. Structurally, SQSTM1 consists of several domains that facilitate its binding to ubiquitinated cargo, the formation of SQSTM1 aggregate inclusions, interactions with MAP1LC3/LC3,...
Newly emerging IADL impairment predicts subsequent cognitive decline across four population-based aging cohorts
Scalable clinical markers of neurocognitive vulnerability in aging are needed, particularly in settings where biomarker access remains limited. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) capture cognitively demanding everyday behavior and may provide a low-cost, repeatable functional marker of elevated risk. We harmonized longitudinal data from four population-based aging cohorts-CHARLS, ELSA, HRS, and SHARE-including adults aged ≥50 years with eligible baseline assessments. IADL impairment...
Advancements in non-pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer's disease management: an update review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative condition that is characterized by an increasing incidence rate due to global population aging, resulting in a significant social and economic burden. Current pharmacological interventions offer only limited relief and are unable to halt neuronal loss and cognitive decline. Therefore, safe and effective non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) are needed for the management of AD. This review systematically synthesizes...
DEPACE-seq enables high-fidelity, single-nucleotide-resolution mapping of abasic sites and characterization of dynamic and long-lived AP landscapes in mammalian genomes
High-fidelity single-nucleotide-resolution mapping of abasic (AP) sites in mammalian genomes remains technically challenging due to low abundance and high background. Here we present DEPACE-seq (Dual-End PAB-Conjugated Endo IV-Cleaved Sequencing), a robust and easy-to-implement method for precise genome-wide profiling of AP sites. DEPACE-seq employs an N-pyrrolyl-alanine-2,2'-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine)-biotin (PAB) probe that selectively conjugates AP sites via a mild Pictet-Spengler...