Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2012;88(6):266-82. doi: 10.2183/pjab.88.266.
The author focused on the functional decline of synapses in the brain with aging to understand the underlying mechanisms and to ameliorate the deficits. The first attempt was to unravel the neuronal functions of gangliosides so that gangliosides could be used for enhancing synaptic activity. The second attempt was to elicit the neuronal plasticity in aged animals through enriched environmental stimulation and nutritional intervention. Environmental stimuli were revealed neurochemically and morphologically to develop synapses leading to enhanced cognitive function. Dietary restriction as a nutritional intervention restored the altered metabolism of neuronal membranes with aging, providing a possible explanation for the longevity effect of dietary restriction. These results obtained with aging and dementia models of animals would benefit aged people.
作者专注于大脑中突触的功能衰退与衰老，以了解潜在机制并改善缺陷。第一个尝试是阐明神经节苷脂的神经元功能，以便将其用于增强突触活性。第二个尝试是通过丰富的环境刺激和营养干预来引发老年动物的神经元可塑性。环境刺激在神经化学和形态学上被揭示出来，以发展导致认知功能增强的突触。饮食限制作为一种营养干预措施，恢复了衰老过程中神经元膜改变的代谢，为饮食限制的长寿效应提供了可能的解释。这些通过动物衰老和痴呆模型获得的结果将使老年人受益。
