Scientists reverse the aging process of brain stem cells in rats

new study, published recently in the journal Nature, reveals that increased brain stiffness leads to dysfunction of brain stem cells as we age, and show new ways to turn older stem cells into young, healthy states.these results have far-reaching implications for how we understand the aging process and how we develop much-needed treatments for age-related brain diseases.
as our bodies age, muscles and joints become stiffer, making daily exercise more difficult. This study shows that the same is true of our brains, where age-related brain hardening has a significant effect on the function of brain stem cells.Multidisciplinary research team at Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Research Institute (Cambridge University) studied the brains of young and old rats to understand the effects of age-related brain hardening on the function of less progeny glial cells (OPCs).these cells are brain stem cells that are essential for maintaining normal brain function and the regeneration of myelin, the fat crucible that surrounds our nerves and is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The effects of age on these cells contribute to multiple sclerosis, but their function also decreases with the age of healthy people. To determine whether the loss of function of the progeny cells of the elderly less protrusion glial cells was reversible, the researchers transplanted the old and less progeny glial cell progeny cells from older rats into the soft, spongy brains of young animals. It is worth noting that older brain cells regain their vitality and begin to behave like younger, more active cells. For further research, the researchers developed new materials with different stiffnesses in the lab and used them to grow and study rat brain stem cells in a controlled environment. These materials are carefully designed to have a softness similar to that of a young or old brain. To fully understand how brain softness and stiffness affect cell behavior, the researchers studied Piezo1, a protein found on the surface of cells that tells cells whether their surroundings are soft or stiff.Dr Kevin Chalut, , who co-led the study, said: "We are fascinated to see that when we are young, when we operate rat brain stem cells on rigid substances, cell dysfunction and loss of regenerative capacity actually begin to function like older cells. What's particularly interesting, however, is that when old brain cells grow on soft materials, they start to function like young cells - in other words, they regenerate."When we remove Piezo1 from the surface of aging brain stem cells, we are able to induce cells to perceive their soft surroundings, even if they grow on hard materials," explains Professor Robin Franklin, co-leader of the study with Dr. Chalut. Dr Susan Kohlhaas, research director atMS Society, said: "Multiple sclerosis is relentless, painful and disabling, and there is an urgent need for treatments that can slow and prevent the accumulation of disability. The Cambridge team's findings on how brain stem cells age and how to reverse this process are important for future treatments because they provide us with new goals to address issues related to aging and multiple sclerosis, including how to potentially restore lost function in the brain. Thewas supported by the European Research Council, the Multiple Sclerosis Association, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, the Medical Research Council and Wellcome. （cyy123.com）