New discoveries from Seattle scientists could help manage brain's aging process

SEATTLE – A new year marks new research on the health and well-being of the brain. On January 1, the Allen Institute published its largest study to date on aging brain cells in animals. Scientists said these discoveries could help unlock ways to keep the mind sharper, longer.

This latest study at the Allen Institute gives insight into the aging of the brain, and how diet, inflammation, and brain health are deeply interconnected. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Scientists analyzed more than 1.2 million brain cells from mice, ages young and old. They explained they used mice because their brains are similar to humans in structure, function, genes, and cell types. The experts said older mice are considered to be the equivalent of a late middle-aged human.

The new study took a closer look at identifying specific cell types, primarily glial cells (the brain’s support system), and how those cells change as they age.

They also focused on “hot spots” when changes occur in the brain cells. Representatives said the scientists discovered an aging accelerator, saying, “In older brains, inflammation surges into overdrive while genes critical for brain structure and function decline. This imbalance sheds light on how aging increases vulnerability to disease.”

In studying the cells, they also found the brain’s aging epicenter: the area near the third ventricle of the hypothalamus. That region of the brain is crucial in regulating food intake, metabolism, and how the body uses nutrients. That epicenter, also referred to as “hot spot,” hints at a strong connection between diet, lifestyle, brain health, and changes that can influence vulnerability to age-related brain disorders.

“Our hypothesis is that those cell types are getting less efficient at integrating signals from our environment or from things that we’re consuming,” said Kelly Jin, Ph.D., a scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and lead author of the study. “And that loss of efficiency somehow contributes to what we know as aging in the rest of our body. I think that’s pretty amazing, and I think it’s remarkable that we’re able to find those very specific changes with the methods that we’re using.”

The Allen Institute said understanding the findings in that hot spot will be key in future studies. It not only helps scientists know which cells to target, but experts said it also could lead to the development of age-related therapeutics. This includes unlocking more specific dietary or drug interventions to maintain brain health into old age.

“Aging is the most important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and many other devastating brain disorders. These results provide a highly detailed map for which brain cells may be most affected by aging,” said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Aging. “This new map may fundamentally alter the way scientists think about how aging affects the brain and also provides a guide for developing new treatments for aging-related brain diseases.”

The Allen Institute’s discoveries are now published in Nature, a weekly international journal highlighting all fields of science and technology from the finest researchers.

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