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A study of nematode worms, mice, and humans indicates that, across the animal kingdom, with aging comes more neural activity and when this natural increase is limited, individuals may live longer. The research, published in Nature today (October 16) highlights a conserved transcription factor called REST that may be central to regulating this age-related neuronal activity.
“This is a very interesting paper that provides food for thought and . . . stimulates the field of aging research,” says developmental biologist Shin-ichiro Imai of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who was not involved in the study.
“It’s an intriguing idea that as people get older our neurons may actually become more active and that simple inhibition of this activity might be sufficient to lengthen lifespan,” adds Joy Alcedo, who studies aging in worms and fruit flies at Wayne State University and also did not ...
