A hormone released by bones seems to reverse age-related memory loss. The hormone can be boosted by exercise, suggesting that lifting weights might protect the brain from the ravages of old age.
Eric Kandel of Columbia University in New York and colleagues were interested in understanding the mechanisms behind normal age-related memory loss.
To investigate, they measured mRNA levels associated with the expression of 23,000 genes in human brain tissue. Genes use mRNA to tell cells to make products such as proteins – mRNA levels therefore reflect how active a gene was before death.
The team focused their analysis on the dentate gyrus, a brain region particularly affected by memory loss as we grow older.
The brain tissue came from eight healthy people aged between 33 and 88. Across these people, one gene — called RbAp48 — became steadily less active with age. This gene is known to be involved in the process by which we turn short-term memories into long-term memories.
Health bones, healthy brain
Kandel’s team went on to show that a relationship exists between RbAp48 and osteocalcin, a hormone secreted by bone.
Osteocalcin has many functions, one of which seems to be involved in cognition – mice who carry a mutation that makes them deficient in the hormone have memory deficits. Replacing this hormone improves their memory.
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