A Protective Brain Enzyme May Counteract Aging-Associated Cognitive Decline

An aging-sensitive secreted phospholipase confers neuroprotection and cognitive resilience

Cognitive reserve theory posits that compensatory mechanisms during aging stave off cognitive decline and lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Here, in a screen for hippocampal dentate granule cell (DGC) synapse loss-induced factors in mice, we identified a secreted phospholipase, Pla2g2f, whose expression increases in DGCs during aging and is associated with cognitive resilience in humans. Pla2g2f deletion in DGCs exacerbates aging-associated pa…

A protective brain enzyme may counteract aging-associated cognitive decline

Cinzia Vicidomini, PhD, and Amar Sahay, PhD, of the Mass General Brigham Department of Psychiatry, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, are the lead and senior authors of a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, "An aging-sensitive secreted phospholipase confers neuroprotection and cognitive resilience."

Brain-protective molecule may help preserve memory during aging

As humans age, both protective and harmful biological processes shape brain health. When the balance shifts in favor of harmful processes, age-related changes in the brain can accelerate, including synapse loss, disruptions in lipid metabolism and chronic inflammation.

Stem Cell Enzyme PLA2G7 Emerges as a Driver of Age-Related Memory Decline

Researchers report that suppressing the lipid-metabolizing enzyme PLA2G7 in hippocampal neural stem cells restores inhibitory synapses and improves memory in aged mice.