Aging & Longevity

Improvements in wildlife husbandry mean that many zoo animals are living longer. This has put pressure on the finite holding capacity of zoos, which has often been addressed through a curtailing of reproduction to reduce population growth rates. Here, we explore how such actions have impacted the demographic trends of 774 mammal populations in European and North American zoo populations between 1970 and 2023. Irrespective of whether the data are clustered by region, taxonomic group, conservation...

Progressive lung fibrosis is linked to aging-related dysfunction in fibroblasts, which remains poorly understood. To investigate the alterations in fibroblasts, particularly the molecular programs driving this profibrotic evolution in the aging lung, we isolated senescent lung fibroblasts from aged mice. We observed aberrant vimentin aggregates, which correlate with accelerated fibroblast senescence. CRISPR-based screening identified calumenin as a chaperone protein essential for vimentin...

Aging studies using animal and cellular models have uncovered key proteins and pathways central to organismal aging. However, these models differ genetically and physiologically from human aging, posing challenges in translating discoveries to human contexts. In this study, we present a human normal cell aging model based on the development of cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) to syncytiotrophoblasts (STBs) in the placenta. The in vitro-derived STBs from human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) recapitulate...

Recent epigenome-wide studies have identified a large number of genomic regions that consistently exhibit changes in their methylation status with aging across diverse populations, but the functional consequences of these changes are largely unknown. On the other hand, transcriptomic changes are more easily interpreted than epigenetic alterations, but previously identified age-related gene expression changes have shown limited replicability across populations. Here, we develop an approach that...

This study investigates how older adults in Guangzhou navigate a rapidly digitalizing city through the lens of Bourdieu's habitus and capital. The study draws on semistructured interviews with 25 smartphone-owning adults aged 60+. Guangzhou's older adults follow path-dependent adaptation. Many use smartphones to continue familiar habits, while others adopt new routines. Yet, resistance persists when low education, limited resources, or fear of fraud reduce confidence. Adaptation is partial and...

ObjectivesCognitive function is shaped by social network characteristics, but the geographic dispersion of social network ties remains understudied. We examine whether having a greater proportion of network ties residing outside of one's local area ("network extralocality") may benefit cognitive function among U.S. older adults.MethodsWe analyzed nationally representative data from the 2015-2016 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N = 4,557) in multivariable regression models to...

Proteomics experiments on Drosophila reveal sex-specific effects in aging, and an important role for a protein called DIP-β.

Aging changes the lipidome and mitochondrial function in a sex-dependent manner, yet their associations remain poorly understood. Twenty-four younger (7M/17F) and forty-three older (21M/22F) adults underwent blood draws and skeletal muscle biopsies for this cross-sectional investigation. Plasma lipidomic profiling was performed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, while peak mitochondrial O(2) utilization (OXPHOS) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) emission were assessed using...

Age-related memory decline is a hallmark of brain aging and a primary risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders. Microglia play a crucial role in preserving memory function by maintaining brain homeostasis through phagocytosis, yet the specific mechanisms governing this protective function remain elusive. In the present study, we identified a population of Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 (Spp1)-positive microglia in both aged mouse and human brains. To investigate the role of microglial Spp1 in...

Calorie restriction (CR) is a robust intervention for improving metabolic health and delaying obesity and age-related diseases, yet its translational utility is limited by adherence challenges and diminished effectiveness later in life. Dietary protein restriction (DPR), which reduces dietary protein without decreasing total caloric intake, has emerged as a promising alternative, yet its cardioprotective potential in the context of obesity and aging remains poorly understood. Here, we...

Cellular senescence is an irreversible state linked to aging that involves molecular and functional alterations. The mammalian hippocampus, a key brain region for learning and memory, is highly vulnerable to damage in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, yet the role of cellular senescence in hippocampal aging remains underexplored. Here, we report an early onset of senescence signatures in hippocampal astrocytes of the accelerated aging and frailty mouse model SAMP8. We examine how astrocyte...

CONCLUSION: Spirituality and religiosity are important, yet underutilized, resources that promote resilience in older adults with chronic illness. Greater clinical attention to spiritual assessment, integration into chronic disease care, and referral for clerical intervention when indicated may enhance patient-centered outcomes. Future research should increase representation of diverse religious perspectives, ensure uniformity in assessing spirituality/religiosity to enhance comparability across...

The Shaker (Sh) gene in Drosophila melanogaster encodes a voltage-gated potassium channel that regulates neuronal excitability and is well known for its role in sleep regulation; however, its contribution to cardiac physiology and neurocardiac communication remains insufficiently explored. In this study, we investigated how two Sh-mutations (Sh^(mns) and Sh⁵) influence heart function and sleep/circadian behaviors to identify potential age-dependent neurocardiac interactions. Cardiac performance...

Synapses serve as the central functional components mediating information transmission, integration, and storage within the central nervous system (CNS). Their functionality depends on the synergistic interplay of the presynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic membrane-three structures that collectively sustain neurotransmitter secretion, postsynaptic signaling, and synaptic plasticity. Of note, synaptic impairment represents an early, shared pathological hallmark across aging and...

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a specialized synapse essential for translating neuronal signals into muscle contraction. This review examines the complex structural, functional, and molecular differences in NMJs that innervate fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibers. Fast-twitch fibers, optimized for rapid and powerful contractions, possess elaborate NMJs with deep folds, high neurotransmitter turnover, and greater vulnerability to synaptic fatigue and degeneration. In contrast,...

CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia-related parameters are associated with global and specific cognitive domains. BDNF may, partially, explain the association between muscle mass and MMSE. Additional research with larger sample size is needed to confirm these findings.

Dense temporal measurements of physiological health, using simple and consistent assays, are essential to characterize biological processes associated with aging and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on these processes. We measured body weight in 960 genetically diverse female mice, every 7-10 days over the full course of their lifespan. We used a state space model to characterize the trajectories of body weight throughout life and derived novel traits capturing the dynamics of body...

CONCLUSION: Cognitive status influences postural control in physically independent older women. Time domain measures, particularly sway velocity, were sensitive to poorer balance among those with cognitive impairment, while time-frequency parameters did not differentiate cognitive groups. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating cognitive screening into balance assessment and fall-prevention strategies in aging populations.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This review provides evidence of the relationship between housing and nursing home utilization; however, because of a weak quality of evidence and limited methodologic diversity, more research is needed to strengthen the evidence base. Clinicians, researchers, and policy makers should still recognize the significance of the role housing plays in nursing home utilization and target policies and interventions toward improving housing conditions for older adults and...

Epigenetic clocks are emerging as promising biomarkers of biological aging, yet their sensitivity to short-term interventions remains unclear. This pilot study investigates whether the GrimAge clock can capture the effects of a 6-month cycling-based endurance exercise training intervention, with cardiorespiratory fitness (VO(2) max) and body composition as primary outcomes. We enrolled 42 adults aged 35-65, of whom 38 completed the study and 33 adhered to the protocol (> 66% adherence)....