title: Aging impairs dendrite morphogenesis of newborn neurons and is rescued by 7, 8-dihydroxyflavone.
abstract: All aging individuals will develop some degree of decline in cognitive capacity as time progresses. The molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to age-related cognitive decline are still not fully understood. Through our previous research, we discovered that active neural progenitor cells selectively become more quiescent in response to aging, thus leading to the decline of neurogenesis in the aged hippocampus. Here, we further find that aging impaired dendrite development of newborn neurons. Currently, no effective approach is available to increase neurogenesis or promote dendrite development of newborn neurons in the aging brain. We found that systemically administration of 7, 8-dihydroxyflavone (DHF), a small molecule imitating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), significantly enhanced dendrite length in the newborn neurons, while it did not promote survival of immature neurons, in the hippocampus of 12-month-old mice. DHF-promoted dendrite development of newborn neurons in the hippocampus may enhance their function in the aging animal leading to a possible improvement in cognition.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer Lynn
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Romine
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.|Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Jinhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002452:Cell Count; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D047309:Flavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: C485383:6,7-dihydroxyflavone; D047309:Flavones
keywords: aging; brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling; dendritic morphology