Telomeres and the brain
Cellular aging changes the structure of the brain
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
Telomeres – the end sections of chromosomes that perform a protective function – become shorter with each cell division. When they become very short, the cells stop dividing and renewing. From now on, they can no longer perform their functions. This is one of the mechanisms of aging of the body.
The length of telomeres is considered an indicator of a person's biological age, and therefore scientists are wondering how to slow down, stop or even reverse the process of reducing their length. Recent studies have shown that telomeres can change faster than previously thought: it takes only one to six months of exercise for them to lengthen.
However, it is still unclear whether telomere lengthening will actually improve the condition of the body. This question was answered in their research by scientists from Max Planck Institute in Leipzig.
They linked telomere length to another biological marker of aging and health: the structure of the brain, according to a press release Cellular aging is linked to structural changes in the brain. (Article by Puhlmann et al. Association of Short-term Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cortical Thickness and Outcomes of Mental Training Among Healthy Adults published in JAMA Network Open – VM.)
Having recruited a group of volunteers, they conducted four MRI sessions three months apart and took blood samples from them on the same days.
The study of leukocyte DNA in the blood gave scientists the length of telomeres, and they used MRI images to calculate the thickness of the cerebral cortex. This is another marker of aging – with age, the outer layer of gray matter becomes thinner with age. There is also evidence that some neurological and age-related diseases are associated with accelerated thinning of the cortex in certain regions of the brain.
The result showed that our biological age is changing faster than people think.
Signs of aging can appear in as little as three months. If telomeres change length, this affects the structure of the brain: the volume of gray matter decreases. And if telomeres begin to lengthen, the probability of an increase in the thickness of the cerebral cortex also increases.
This dependence is manifested, in particular, in the region of the precline – the center of metabolism.
In addition, scientists have not been able to fix any connection between mental exercises and mindfulness practice, on the one hand, and changes in telomere length, on the other. These data contradict the results obtained by other groups of specialists, so the group points to the need for further research.
A number of experts consider the measurement of cellular age and attempts to prolong life by affecting telomeres to be pseudoscience. At least, they are extremely skeptical about the promises of the startup Telomere Diagnostics to slow down aging due to a healthy lifestyle.
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