Somatic mutations in the brain: relationship to aging?
Genetic instability is generally thought to underlie the process of aging and is predominantly associated with meiosis and mitosis. This review will discuss DNA damage and repair, somatic mutations and somatic recombination events in non-dividing neurons in relation to aging. In general it can be concluded that mutagenesis operates at high frequency in the brain. Present data do not provide clear evidence for accumulating DNA damage or a change in DNA repair activity in the brain with age. However, a linear age-related increase in frameshift mutations has been shown to occur in vasopressin neurons of the rat, revealing a novel post-mitotic mechanism.
Evans
D A
DA
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam.
Burbach
J P
JP
van Leeuwen
F W
FW
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D003057:Cockayne Syndrome / Q000235:genetics; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014983:Xeroderma Pigmentosum / Q000235:genetics