Scientists have shed light on the processes behind the decline in brain structures related to aging of the population / ScienceDaily



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Aging can cause damage to the supporting cells in the white matter, which can lead to damage in the gray matter of the hippocampus, according to a new study from Cardiff University.

This discovery provides researchers with a new field in which to search for treatments that can protect cognitive function.

Claudia Metzler-Baddeley, of Cardiff University's Brain Imaging Research Center (CUBRIC), said: "The brain is made up of gray and white matter, while the gray matter contains neuronal cells, which perform Calculations in our brain, white matter contains connections and support cells that facilitate communication between different areas.

"Our new study not only confirms that aging leads to both the decline of gray matter in the hippocampus and the decline of white matter in the vicinity, but also reveals the causal link between the two.

"Using a method called mediation badysis, we discovered that white matter aging accounted for the aging of the hippocampal gray matter and not the reverse.Our results suggest that cell damage Support may affect the health of the tissues of the hippocampus, a region important for memory and involved in Alzheimer's disease.

"It's an exciting discovery.If hard-working white substance support cells begin to malfunction with age, the therapies that protect them can help combat the damage that aging does." can cause our cognitive abilities. "

The study, which focused on the brains of 166 healthy volunteers, was performed using advanced brain imaging techniques by CUBRIC and was jointly funded by the Alzheimer Society and the BRACE Alzheimer Foundation.

The research "Injury lesions of the white matter of Fornix causes lesions of the gray matter of the hippocampus during age-related limbic decline" is published in Scientific reports.

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Material provided by Cardiff University. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.

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