title: Genome instability: Linking ageing and brain degeneration.
abstract: Ageing is a multifactorial process affected by cumulative physiological changes resulting from stochastic processes combined with genetic factors, which together alter metabolic homeostasis. Genetic variation in maintenance of genome stability is emerging as an important determinant of ageing pace. Genome instability is also closely associated with a broad spectrum of conditions involving brain degeneration. Similarities and differences can be found between ageing-associated decline of brain functionality and the detrimental effect of genome instability on brain functionality and development. This review discusses these similarities and differences and highlights cell classes whose role in these processes might have been underestimated-glia and microglia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise, Faculty of Life Sciences, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Israel.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barzilai
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genome Stability in Ageing and Disease; Medical Faculty and CECAD Research Center. University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Molecular genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Electronic address: yossih@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yosef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiloh
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology