Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan.
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan; Research Institute of Disaster Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan.
Exp Gerontol. 2023 Jul;178:112206. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112206. Epub 2023 May 17.
The brain is an essential organ that controls various biological activities via the nervous system. The cerebral blood vessels supply oxygen and nutrients to neuronal cells and carry away waste products, which is essential in maintaining brain functions. Aging affects cerebral vascular function and decreases brain function. However, the physiological process of age-dependent cerebral vascular dysfunction is not fully understood. In this study, we examined aging effects on cerebral vascular patterning, vascular function, and learning ability in adult zebrafish. We found that the tortuosity of the blood vessels was increased, and the blood flow rate was reduced with aging in the zebrafish dorsal telencephalon. Moreover, we found cerebral blood flow positively correlated with learning ability in middle-old-aged zebrafish, as in aged humans. In addition, we also found that the elastin fiber decreased in the middle-old-aged fish brain vessel, suggesting a possible molecular mechanism underlying vessel dysfunction. Therefore, adult zebrafish may serve as a useful model for studying the aging-dependent decline in vascular function and human diseases such as vascular dementia.
大脑是通过神经系统控制各种生物活动的重要器官。脑血管为神经元细胞提供氧气和营养物质，并带走代谢废物，这对维持大脑功能至关重要。衰老会影响脑血管功能并降低大脑功能。然而，年龄相关的脑血管功能障碍的生理过程尚不完全清楚。在这项研究中，我们研究了衰老对成年斑马鱼脑血管模式、血管功能和学习能力的影响。我们发现，随着斑马鱼大脑背侧端脑的衰老，血管的扭曲度增加，血流速度降低。此外，我们发现大脑血流与中年斑马鱼的学习能力呈正相关，就像老年人一样。此外，我们还发现，中年鱼大脑血管中的弹性纤维减少，这表明血管功能障碍的潜在分子机制。因此，成年斑马鱼可能是研究血管功能随年龄下降和血管性痴呆等人类疾病的有用模型。
