Development of a method for evaluation of ageing in cerebral neuronal circuit using circadian rhythm as a gauge

本研究的目的是建立一种方法来评估大脑神经元回路的老化，使用明显的昼夜节律作为果蝇的衡量标准。行为学和分子学分析表明，色素分散因子（色素分散因子）在脑时钟神经元背端免疫反应性表达的年龄依赖性迟缓与行为节律的衰老有关。该肽的过表达不仅增强了生物钟基因的活动节律，而且在老年果蝇中也增强了生物钟基因的分子振荡。因此，测量行为节律可能足以评估潜在神经元回路的老化。

The goal of this study was to establish a method to evaluate ageing of cerebral neuronal circuits using overt circadian rhythms as a gauge in Drosophila. Behavioral and molecular analyses revealed that age dependent retardation of a neuropeptide, pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), expression in the dorsal terminal of PDF immunoreactive cerebral clock neurons correlated with the ageing of behavioral rhythms. Overexpression of the peptide strengthened not only the activity rhythm but also molecular oscillation of clock genes even in old flies. Thus measuring the behavioral rhythms may be sufficient to evaluate ageing of the underlying neuronal circuit.