Blood-hypothalamus barrier and metabolic impairment in advanced aging

项目总结/摘要 世界人口正在老龄化。尽管我们在延长寿命方面取得了进展， 与年龄有关的发病率和死亡率的个体化。人们认识到， 海马中的血脑屏障（BBB）标志着认知障碍的早期事件， 衰老然而，衰老如何影响下丘脑中的血脑屏障，以及它如何保证代谢 后果并不清楚。这项研究的目的是测试是否与年龄有关 伸展细胞数量的减少导致下丘脑中BBB的减弱， 对代谢损伤和死亡率的影响。我们将确定是否增殖能力的 伸长细胞随着年龄的增长而减少，导致伸长细胞的年龄依赖性损失。我们将探讨，如果 伸展细胞增殖不足导致下丘脑中基底内侧的BBB减弱， 其后果。我们将评估BBB外AgRP神经元的老化是否标志着 AgRP神经元功能下降和晚期衰老中的代谢脱轨。寿命是 受遗传和环境因素的影响。鉴于AgRP的重要作用， 代谢控制中的神经元及其在BBB外的独特解剖定位， 从本研究中获得的信息将确定下丘脑BBB的重要性， 代谢控制和长寿。

Project Summary/Abstract The world population is aging. Despite our advances in extending lifespan, there is tremendous individuality in age-related morbidity and mortality. It is recognized that the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in hippocampus marks an early event of cognitive impairment in aging. However, how aging affects BBB in the hypothalamus, and its ensuring metabolic consequences is not well understood. The goal of this study is to test whether the age-related decline of tanycyte number contributes to the weakening of the BBB in the hypothalamus and its impact on metabolic impairment and mortality. We will determine if proliferative capacity of tanycytes decreases with age, leading to age-dependent loss of tanycytes. We will explore if inadequate tanycyte proliferation leads to weakened BBB in the mediobasal hypothalamus and its consequences. We will evaluate if aging of the AgRP neurons outside the BBB marks the decline of AgRP neuronal function and metabolic derailment in advanced aging. Lifespan is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Given the essential roles of the AgRP neurons in metabolic control and their unique anatomical localization outside the BBB, information obtained from this study will establish the importance of the hypothalamic BBB in metabolic control and longevity in advanced aging.