Scientists figure out how to live longer!

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York may have found the key to stop ageing. According to their research, the hypothalamus region of the brain which is responsible for growth and development, is responsible for slowing the ageing process in our bodies.

They conducted successful experiments on mice by tweaking their chemical messengers which affect the hypothalamus and slowed the ageing process in them. This was done by manipulating the levels of a molecule called NF-kB found in the hypothalamus.

NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) is a protein complex. As one ages, inflammatory changes appear in our tissues and can be cause age-related disease s like neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, etc. In order to find out the role hypothalamus plays in the ageing process, Dongsheng Cai, professor of molecular pharmacology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine decided to study hypothalamic inflammation by focusing on a protein complex NF-kB.

When the molecule's pathway was accelerated, the mice showed prominent signs of ageing low ability to learn, decrease in skin thickness and muscle size. 'Activating this pathway promoted systemic ageing that shortened the lifespan,' scientists said.

On the other hand, blocking its pathway had the opposite effect i.e. it slowed the rate of ageing in mice. It also increased their median longevity by 20%.

Dr Cai said that it was clear from their study that various aspects of ageing are controlled by the hypothalamus. He also added that it was exciting to note that it is possible, at least in mice, to slow down the process and increase longevity by altering the signalling within the hypothalamus.