Older brain cells forget who they are, according to a breakthrough study conducted by the University of Innsbruck and published Monday by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
For the study, the research team led by neurobiologist Frank Edenhofer grew "mini-brains” called organoids from human stem cells in laboratory dishes.
Researchers then artificially induced aging processes, giving scientists the first-ever glimpse into how organoids age.
Researchers introduced a gene for progerin, a protein, into the organoids to age the "mini-brains.”
According to the researchers, markers on the genetic material of the brain nerve cells that determine their identity disappeared.
Like in real human brains at an advanced age, the activity of the "cell power plants” – the mitochondria – also decreased in the lab-grown brains.
"We see typical degenerative processes: oxidative and other age-related damage to the DNA as well as reduced mitochondrial activity,” the study said.
The researchers said that oxygen causes "oxidative damage in cells in the same way as iron, which accumulates over time and impairs function."
The researchers view the "mini-brains" as a starting point for follow-up studies that aim to improve our understanding of neuronal aging.
They also hope to identify new genes that play a role in the aging process.
"We are seeing some unexpected genes that have not yet been described in the context of brain aging,” the researchers wrote.
One of the researchers' goals is to reprogram neurons derived from brain stem cells to rejuvenate them.
"If we can artificially age the cells, can we also rejuvenate them?” the researchers ask in the study.
However, they say the science is still in its early stages. "It will be a long time before there is a rejuvenation cure for the brain as a drug,” they wrote.
