“New Study Identifies Mechanistic Impairment in Working Memory Related to Aging: Implications for Cognitive Function”

Working memory is the key to our ability to grasp and use information in a short period of time. Although the working memory of many people will decline significantly as the brain ages with age, in fact, nearly half of the people cansenescenceAffects and sustains healthy working memory.

In new research published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a mechanistic impairment related to the microstructure of synapses that may be responsible for age-related impairments in working memory The main reason has opened a new door for aging research.

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Impaired synaptic transmission in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Previous studies have found that working memory capacity is associated withbrainNeuronal activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is closely related, and neurons must rely onsynapse(Synapse) and countless microstructures are functioning normally.

The Salk team previously discovered that the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) also suffers from working memory impairment with aging, and there is also significant heterogeneity between groups similar to humans. For this reason, in the latest study, the researchers further explored the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) through an electron microscope. Altered activity of neurons and synapses in the dlPFC region of the brain in a marmoset model.

The researchers found that while all common marmosets experience synapse loss with aging, in a common marmoset model with working memory impairment, the link that coordinates the scaling of synaptic and mitochondrial sizes is abnormal, resulting in a size correlation between the complexes Sex is broken.

There is a basic Ultrastructural size principle in the field of neuroscience, that is, when the size of one part of the synaptic complex changes, all other parts must also change in coordination to function, and the team speculates that this may be the case. Coordination abnormalities create a mismatch between energy supply and demand, resulting in impaired synaptic transmission, which in turn triggers age-related impairments in working memory.

Impact of microscopic dysfunction on cognition

Although the principle of ultrastructural size is widely understood in the scientific community, no one had explored whether age or disease violated this principle before this study. The researchers believe that the images of synapses captured in the study will help to explore the mechanism by which the synaptic complex coordinates the expansion and contraction of various parts in the future. There may be an explanation for age-related cognitive decline in the abnormal mechanism.

Like small stones thrown into a lake, these tiny synaptic structures changeNeuronsNetworks, brain function and behavior, the researchers believe, is an uncharted area of ​​research that could revolutionize our understanding of aging and its impact on cognition.

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References:
1. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2023, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1146245/full
2. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/mitochondria-power-supply-failure-may-cause-age-related-cognitive-impairment/

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