Aging-related cognitive decline is emerging as a health concern during the aging process of the global population. Hahn and colleagues found that glial aging was particularly accelerated in white matter compared to cortical regions. Specialized neuronal populations showed region-specific changes in gene expression. Acute dietary restriction triggers a reprogramming of genes associated with the circadian clock in glial cells, whereas injections of young mouse plasma selectively reverse age-related expression patterns. The discovery of region-specific aging could enhance our understanding of the aging process and offer new possibilities for innovative treatment strategies and interventions for cognitive impairments related to aging.
Keywords: Aging; brain region; cognitive decline; microglia; white matter.