Scientists Identify and Block Gene Responsible for Brain Aging
A new study published in the journal Neuron has revealed that researchers from the Yale School of Medicine were able to reverse the aging process in the brains of mice by blocking a particular gene. The implication is that this may lead to an ability to slow down the aging process in humans.
Researchers were able to identify a gene in mice that caused the brain to become less malleable and flexible over time. When the function of this gene was blocked, the brains of old mice were ‘reset’ to that of an adolescent mouse. They also found that the adult mice were able to recover from injuries as fast as adolescent mice and were able to learn complex tasks more quickly than mice of the same age without the blocked gene.
The study has raised the possibility that manipulating the same gene in humans could accelerate rehabilitation and enable adult humans to recover faster and more thoroughly from strokes and other brain injuries.
Is it possible that human beings were never meant to die after 70-80 years but that we have the potential to live much, much longer? It is certainly food for thought.
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