Ca2+ regulation and gene expression in normal brain aging

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 614-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil C. Toescu ◽  
Alexei Verkhratsky ◽  
Philip W. Landfield
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Normal Brain

scholarly journals Transcriptomic Changes Highly Similar to Alzheimer’s Disease Are Observed in a Subpopulation of Individuals During Normal Brain Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouneng Peng ◽  
Lu Zeng ◽  
Jean-Vianney Haure-Mirande ◽  
Minghui Wang ◽  
Derek M. Huffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Cognitively Normal

Aging is a major risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). How aging contributes to the development of LOAD remains elusive. In this study, we examined multiple large-scale transcriptomic datasets from both normal aging and LOAD brains to understand the molecular interconnection between aging and LOAD. We found that shared gene expression changes between aging and LOAD are mostly seen in the hippocampal and several cortical regions. In the hippocampus, the expression of phosphoprotein, alternative splicing and cytoskeleton genes are commonly changed in both aging and AD, while synapse, ion transport, and synaptic vesicle genes are commonly down-regulated. Aging-specific changes are associated with acetylation and methylation, while LOAD-specific changes are more related to glycoprotein (both up- and down-regulations), inflammatory response (up-regulation), myelin sheath and lipoprotein (down-regulation). We also found that normal aging brain transcriptomes from relatively young donors (45–70 years old) clustered into several subgroups and some subgroups showed gene expression changes highly similar to those seen in LOAD brains. Using brain transcriptomic datasets from another cohort of older individuals (>70 years), we found that samples from cognitively normal older individuals clustered with the “healthy aging” subgroup while AD samples mainly clustered with the “AD similar” subgroups. This may imply that individuals in the healthy aging subgroup will likely remain cognitively normal when they become older and vice versa. In summary, our results suggest that on the transcriptome level, aging and LOAD have strong interconnections in some brain regions in a subpopulation of cognitively normal aging individuals. This supports the theory that the initiation of LOAD occurs decades earlier than the manifestation of clinical phenotype and it may be essential to closely study the “normal brain aging” to identify the very early molecular events that may lead to LOAD development.

scholarly journals Gene expression changes in the course of normal brain aging are sexually dimorphic

2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (40) ◽  
pp. 15605-15610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole C. Berchtold ◽  
David H. Cribbs ◽  
Paul D. Coleman ◽  
Joseph Rogers ◽  
Elizabeth Head ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Entorhinal Cortex ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Compensatory Mechanisms ◽  
Superior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
The Brain

Gene expression profiles were assessed in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, superior-frontal gyrus, and postcentral gyrus across the lifespan of 55 cognitively intact individuals aged 20–99 years. Perspectives on global gene changes that are associated with brain aging emerged, revealing two overarching concepts. First, different regions of the forebrain exhibited substantially different gene profile changes with age. For example, comparing equally powered groups, 5,029 probe sets were significantly altered with age in the superior-frontal gyrus, compared with 1,110 in the entorhinal cortex. Prominent change occurred in the sixth to seventh decades across cortical regions, suggesting that this period is a critical transition point in brain aging, particularly in males. Second, clear gender differences in brain aging were evident, suggesting that the brain undergoes sexually dimorphic changes in gene expression not only in development but also in later life. Globally across all brain regions, males showed more gene change than females. Further, Gene Ontology analysis revealed that different categories of genes were predominantly affected in males vs. females. Notably, the male brain was characterized by global decreased catabolic and anabolic capacity with aging, with down-regulated genes heavily enriched in energy production and protein synthesis/transport categories. Increased immune activation was a prominent feature of aging in both sexes, with proportionally greater activation in the female brain. These data open opportunities to explore age-dependent changes in gene expression that set the balance between neurodegeneration and compensatory mechanisms in the brain and suggest that this balance is set differently in males and females, an intriguing idea.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic changes highly similar to Alzheimer's disease are observed in a subpopulation of individuals during normal brain aging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouneng Peng ◽  
Lu Zeng ◽  
Jean-vianney Haure-mirande ◽  
Minghui Wang ◽  
Derek M. Huffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Older Individuals

Aging is a major risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). How aging contributes to the development of LOAD remains elusive. In this study, we examine multiple large-scale human brain transcriptomic data from both normal aging and LOAD to understand the molecular interconnection between aging and LOAD. We find that shared gene expression changes between aging and LOAD are mostly seen in the hippocampus and several cortical regions. In the hippocampus, phosphoprotein, alternative splicing and cytoskeleton are the commonly dysregulated biological pathways in both aging and AD, while synapse, ion transport, and synaptic vesicle genes are commonly down-regulated. Aging-specific changes are associated with acetylation and methylation, while LOAD-specific changes are related to glycoprotein (both up- and down-regulations), inflammatory response (up-regulation), myelin sheath and lipoprotein (down-regulation). We also find that normal aging brains from relatively young donors (45-70 years old) cluster into subgroups and some subgroups show gene expression changes highly similar to those seen in LOAD brains. Using brain transcriptome data from older individuals (>70 years), we find that samples from cognitive normal older individuals cluster with the "healthy aging" subgroup while AD samples mainly cluster with the AD similar subgroups. This implies that individuals in the healthy aging subgroup will likely remain cognitive normal when they become older and vice versa. In summary, our results suggest that on the transcriptome level, aging and LOAD have strong interconnections in some brain regions in a subpopulation of cognitive normal aging individuals. This supports the theory that the initiation of LOAD occurs decades earlier than the manifestation of clinical phenotype and it may be essential to closely study the "normal brain aging" in a subgroup of individuals in their 40s-60s to identify the very early events in LOAD development.

scholarly journals Contribution of TMS and TMS-EEG to the Understanding of Mechanisms Underlying Physiological Brain Aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Andrea Guerra ◽  
Lorenzo Rocchi ◽  
Alberto Grego ◽  
Francesca Berardi ◽  
Concetta Luisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evoked Potentials ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Physiological Activity ◽  
Neuronal Loss ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Brain Degeneration

In the human brain, aging is characterized by progressive neuronal loss, leading to disruption of synapses and to a degree of failure in neurotransmission. However, there is increasing evidence to support the notion that the aged brain has a remarkable ability to reorganize itself, with the aim of preserving its physiological activity. It is important to develop objective markers able to characterize the biological processes underlying brain aging in the intact human, and to distinguish them from brain degeneration associated with many neurological diseases. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), coupled with electromyography or electroencephalography (EEG), is particularly suited to this aim, due to the functional nature of the information provided, and thanks to the ease with which it can be integrated with behavioral manipulation. In this review, we aimed to provide up to date information about the role of TMS and TMS-EEG in the investigation of brain aging. In particular, we focused on data about cortical excitability, connectivity and plasticity, obtained by using readouts such as motor evoked potentials and transcranial evoked potentials. Overall, findings in the literature support an important potential contribution of TMS to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying normal brain aging. Further studies are needed to expand the current body of information and to assess the applicability of TMS findings in the clinical setting.

PET imaging of neural activity, β-amyloid, and tau in normal brain aging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Hiroshi Mizuma ◽  
Xiaohui Zhang ◽  
Kayo Takahashi ◽  
Chentao Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pet Imaging ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Β Amyloid

scholarly journals Loss of histone methyltransferase ASH1L in the developing mouse brain causes autistic-like behaviors

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen Gao ◽  
Natalia Duque-Wilckens ◽  
Mohammad B. Aljazi ◽  
Yan Wu ◽  
Adam J. Moeser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Critical Function ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disease ◽  
Developing Mouse Brain

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease associated with various gene mutations. Recent genetic and clinical studies report that mutations of the epigenetic gene ASH1L are highly associated with human ASD and intellectual disability (ID). However, the causality and underlying molecular mechanisms linking ASH1L mutations to genesis of ASD/ID remain undetermined. Here we show loss of ASH1L in the developing mouse brain is sufficient to cause multiple developmental defects, core autistic-like behaviors, and impaired cognitive memory. Gene expression analyses uncover critical roles of ASH1L in regulating gene expression during neural cell development. Thus, our study establishes an ASD/ID mouse model revealing the critical function of an epigenetic factor ASH1L in normal brain development, a causality between Ash1L mutations and ASD/ID-like behaviors in mice, and potential molecular mechanisms linking Ash1L mutations to brain functional abnormalities.

scholarly journals A fiber-deprived diet causes cognitive impairment and hippocampal microglia-mediated synaptic loss through the gut microbiota and metabolites

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongli Shi ◽  
Xing Ge ◽  
Xi Ma ◽  
Mingxuan Zheng ◽  
Xiaoying Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Dietary Fiber ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Synaptic Proteins ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Fiber Intake ◽  
Synaptic Ultrastructure

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment, an increasing mental health issue, is a core feature of the aging brain and neurodegenerative diseases. Industrialized nations especially, have experienced a marked decrease in dietary fiber intake, but the potential mechanism linking low fiber intake and cognitive impairment is poorly understood. Emerging research reported that the diversity of gut microbiota in Western populations is significantly reduced. However, it is unknown whether a fiber-deficient diet (which alters gut microbiota) could impair cognition and brain functional elements through the gut-brain axis. Results In this study, a mouse model of long-term (15 weeks) dietary fiber deficiency (FD) was used to mimic a sustained low fiber intake in humans. We found that FD mice showed impaired cognition, including deficits in object location memory, temporal order memory, and the ability to perform daily living activities. The hippocampal synaptic ultrastructure was damaged in FD mice, characterized by widened synaptic clefts and thinned postsynaptic densities. A hippocampal proteomic analysis further identified a deficit of CaMKIId and its associated synaptic proteins (including GAP43 and SV2C) in the FD mice, along with neuroinflammation and microglial engulfment of synapses. The FD mice also exhibited gut microbiota dysbiosis (decreased Bacteroidetes and increased Proteobacteria), which was significantly associated with the cognitive deficits. Of note, a rapid differentiating microbiota change was observed in the mice with a short-term FD diet (7 days) before cognitive impairment, highlighting a possible causal impact of the gut microbiota profile on cognitive outcomes. Moreover, the FD diet compromised the intestinal barrier and reduced short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. We exploit these findings for SCFA receptor knockout mice and oral SCFA supplementation that verified SCFA playing a critical role linking the altered gut microbiota and cognitive impairment. Conclusions This study, for the first time, reports that a fiber-deprived diet leads to cognitive impairment through altering the gut microbiota-hippocampal axis, which is pathologically distinct from normal brain aging. These findings alert the adverse impact of dietary fiber deficiency on brain function, and highlight an increase in fiber intake as a nutritional strategy to reduce the risk of developing diet-associated cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals Differential expression of protein phosphatase PPM1B and multiple protein phosphatase regulatory subunits in glioblastoma.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahan Mamoor
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Protein Phosphatase ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Regulatory Subunits ◽  
Gene Expression Information ◽  
Multiple Protein ◽  
Substrate Phosphorylation ◽  
Public Dataset

Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive brain cancer with few treatment options and poor survival outcomes (1, 2). We used a public dataset (3) containing the gene expression information of tumors from 17 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma and compared it to the gene expression information from the non-cancerous, healthy brain tissue from 8 individuals as a reference control, to understand what is most different between the transcriptional behavior of glioblastoma tumors relative to the tissue it arises from. We found that protein phosphatase PPM1B and three protein phosphatase regulatory subunits were among the genes whose expression was most different between glioblastoma tumors and “normal” brain tissue. The fact that multiple phosphatase regulatory genes are expressed at significantly lower levels in glioblastoma tumors suggests that alteration of substrate phosphorylation might be an important event in glioblastoma formation, maintenance or progression.

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