The 13 drugs and supplements that could slow down the aging of the brain

Seven genes have been linked to particularly rapid aging of the brain – but 13 drugs and can supplement reduces their effects.

The activity of many genes contributes to the difference between our actual age and the biological age of our brains, defined by how old our cells indicate that we are, which creates what is known as a brain age gap.

To find genes that accelerate brain pay and expand this hole, Zhengxing Huang was at Zhejiang University in China and his colleagues trained a dearing model called 3D-vit on some medical records and used others to check that it gave exactly.

They are used to analyze data from nearly 39,000 people who had health, genetic and lifestyle information along with biological samples, stored in the UK Biobank. These participants, we were on average 64 years old, and about half were women.

3D-vit identified signatures in the participants’ MRI scans that could be used to estimate their biological brain age. Signs of acceleraled aging appeared especially in brain areas known as the lentiform core involved in cognition, such as attention and working memory, and the rear limb of the inner capsule connecting different regions to the brain’s cerebral cortex – used for thought and language processing.

Huang and his colleagues also found that the participants’ score on cognition tests fell as their brain age gap increased.

Comparison of their gene variants with the size of their estimated brain holes marked 64 that affect genes, but Huang and his colleagues focused on seven: Short,,,,,,,, TNFSF12,,,,,,,, GZMB,,,,,,,, SIRPB1,,,,,,,, Gnly,,,,,,,, NMB and C1RLPartly because these all have a particularly strong effect on the aging of the brain.

Clinical trials have also shown that their activity can be targeted by 13 drugs or supplements. These include cholecalciferol, a supplement to vitamin D deficiency; dasatinib, a leukemia drug; Diclofenac, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory; Doconexent, an omega-3 fatty acid; Estradiol, the type of estrogen often used in hormone replacement therapy; Hydrocortisone often used to treat eczema; and mecamylamine, a drug that lowers blood press.

The others were nicotine; Prasterone, as vaginal relief broke during sex during menopause; Quercetin and Resveratrol supplements; Sirolimus, often used to suppress the immune system after a kidney transplant; and testosterone.

But researchers write that people “should be encouraged to consider the potential risks associated with receiving medicine or supplements to slow down, as these interventions can have unintended negative consequences”.

Many genes have an impact on the brain age, but here the authors have used an approach that prioritized them with the great effect, says Dario Valenzano at the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena, Germany. “The work provides specific goals for direct follow -up experimental and clinical interventions.”

But it’s hard to tell how much effect on brain aging of these genes is unclear, says Richard Siow at King’s College London. “Just because you have a particular genetic profile, it doesn’t mean that the genes will always play a role.”

Genes can be silent or turned on by different lifestyle and environmental factors, he says, such as smoking and high alcohol consumption. These can also dispose of people for cognitive decline or brain aging.

Sorry for the study used data in the UK Biobank, we do not know if the results translate into people around the world, says Siow. There is a need for work in other populations, such as those in Africa, South America and East Asia, to find out, he says.