A group of scientists, led by researchers from Stony Brook University in the USA, have determined the age at which human brain cells show the first signs of decline. This is reported by UNN with reference to Science Alert.
Details
According to brain scans and tests covering 19,300 people, this age averages around 44 years. It is then that degeneration begins to be noticeable, before reaching its greatest speed at the age of 67. At the same time, when a person reaches the age of 90, the rate of brain aging decreases.
According to the authors of the study, its results may be useful for identifying ways to improve brain health in later life.
Understanding exactly when and how brain aging accelerates gives us strategic time points for intervention. We have identified a critical middle-age window when the brain begins to experience a decline in access to energy, but before irreversible damage occurs, essentially a "bend" before a "break."
The team was also able to identify a potential major factor in this breakdown: insulin resistance of neurons. The results suggest that as our brains age, insulin reduces its effect on neurons, meaning less glucose is consumed as energy, which then begins to disrupt brain signaling.
In middle age, neurons experience metabolic stress due to insufficient fuel: they struggle, and they are still viable. So, providing alternative fuel during this critical window may help restore function
The scientists tested this hypothesis on a group of 101 people who were given ketone supplements, which increase the sensitivity of brain cells to insulin and suppress metabolic damage.
Brain degradation stabilized after taking ketone supplements, with the greatest progress observed in middle-aged people (40 to 59 years). This means that this type of treatment may work, but timing will be crucial.
"Instead of waiting for cognitive symptoms, which may not appear until significant damage has been done, we can potentially identify people at risk using neurometabolic markers and intervene during this critical window," says neurobiologist Botond Antal from Stony Brook University.
Reminder
Researchers from Mass General Brigham have identified a brain circuit in the right hemisphere that is responsible for creativity. Injuries and neurological diseases that affect this area can enhance a person's creative abilities.