Strain, stress, neurodegeneration and longevity.
Laboratory studies indicate that the life-span of inbred rodent strains is inversely related to the intensity of their behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stressful stimuli. In the brain, a shorter life-span is associated with accelerated age-dependent degenerative changes in specific stress-responsive neuronal systems. The evidence suggests a possible genetic linkage between the intensity of the stress response, the rate of age-dependent neurodegeneration and the individual's life expectancy. It is proposed that inherent hyper-reactivity to stressors is genetically linked to a shorter life-span and to accelerated age-dependent neurodegeneration. Several experimental approaches to test 'this stress-longevity-neurodegeneration linkage hypothesis' are outlined.
Gilad
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Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Halifa, Israel.
Gilad
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D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013045:Species Specificity; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000235:genetics*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission