Authors:
Emily G. Jacobs, PhD; Elissa S. Epel, PhD; Jue Lin, PhD; Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD; Natalie L. Rasgon, MD, PhD
Summary:
Leukocyte telomere length (TL) provides an index of cellular age that predicts the incidence of age-related diseases and early mortality in older adults.1 Telomerase adds telomeric repeats to terminal DNA, a critical process that helps stall genomic instability and apoptotic events that are triggered when telomeres shorten to a critical length. Evidence from a telomerase-deficient mouse model demonstrated the widespread consequences of telomere attrition on neurodegeneration including reduced proliferation of neural progenitor cells, restricted neurogenesis, and atrophy of white matter tracts. Remarkably, these age-related degenerative phenotypes were reversed following reactivation of endogenous telomerase activity.2 Clinical evidence also suggests a correlation between chromosomal and neural aging but direct evidence in humans is limited. In this study, we characterized the relationship between telomerase activity, TL, and hippocampal volume in humans to assess whether cellular markers of aging reflect early age-related structural brain changes.
Source:
JAMA Neurology; Vol. 71, No. 7, 921-923 (07/2014)