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Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (6): 545-570.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.21-060

• Special Section: Excellent Doctoral Thesis • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The regulatory mechanisms of behavioral and cognitive aging

Jie Yuan1,2(), Shiqing Cai1,2   

  1. 1. Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
    2. CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
  • Received:2021-02-08 Revised:2021-03-11 Online:2021-06-20 Published:2021-03-30
  • Contact: Yuan Jie E-mail:yuanjiejane@gmail.com
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China No(91949206)

Abstract:

With the increase of life expectancy, the world’s population is aging rapidly. Previous work in the field of aging greatly increases our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying longevity. Researchers have unraveled a number of longevity pathways conserved from yeast to mammals. However, recent evidence shows that mechanisms regulating the life span and those regulating age-related behavioral decline could be dissociated. The regulatory mechanisms underlying behavioral and cognitive aging is largely unknown. Previous work has described a significant age-related decline in cognitive behaviors including episodic memory, working memory, processing speed, as well as motor function deterioration and circadian dysfunction. With the advance of neuroscience and technology, more and more studies have focused on the age-related changes in structure and function of the brain. In this review, we briefly describe the deterioration of cognitive function and other behaviors in the aging process, and survey the role of age-related changes in brain structure and network, neuron morphology and function, transcriptome in brain and some conserved biological pathways on age-related cognitive and behavioral decline. Further studies on the mechanisms underpinning age-related cognitive and behavioral decline may provide clues not only for improving the quality of life for the ageing population, but also for developing intervention approaches for neurodegenerative diseases.

Key words: aging, cognitive function, behavioral deterioration, synapse, neurotransmitter, mitochondrion, oxidative stress, epigenetic