As we get older, our memory starts to fail and it becomes harder to learn new things.
It would not be unreasonable to assume that this is caused by brain cells gradually dying off but that doesn’t happen. So what causes age-related cognitive impairment?
In a recent study from the University of Leicester, researchers found that calcium levels in specific cells in the brain play a key role in age-related memory loss.
It helps explain how and why cognitive functions such as memory and learning become impaired with age.
The study is published in Aging Cell. One author is Professor Nick Hartell.
The researchers examined whether calcium levels in the hippocampus, part of the brain necessary for learning and memory, might play a role.
Previous studies have concentrated on post-synaptic cells—the ones which receive neurotransmitters—simply because measuring calcium levels in pre-synaptic cells is very difficult.
In the current study, the team developed a special strain of mice that express a calcium-sensing fluorescent protein within the pre-synaptic parts of a brain region called the hippocampus.
This region plays a big role in learning and memory functions.
The research used mazes and object recognition tests to study the cognitive functions of mice at ages of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, and found a clear link between cognitive ability and pre-synaptic calcium levels.
When the team raised the level of intracellular pre-synaptic calcium in the brains of young mice, they found the young mice behaved like the older mice.
The reverse is also true: lowering intracellular calcium in old mouse brains rejuvenates their synapses—which obviously has enormous potential significance for age-related health issues in humans.
The team says that the electrochemical connections between neurons that use neurotransmitters to create the web of functions within the central nervous system.
They hope their findings could help develop new ways to delay age-related memory loss.
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