Forgetting where you put the car keys? Striding purposefully into the kitchen to get something—if only you could remember what? If you're over 40, you, like other middle agers, may be undergoing genetic aging of the brain. When at work, genes are said to be expressed. Some genes are turned off at any given time, while others are virtually always turned on, almost always producing their products. What appears to be happening in middle age is decreased expression of a group of genes involved in learning and memory. They're not turned off, but they're not efficiently producing their products, either. At the same time that this group of genes is becoming inefficient, a second group involved in cellular stress responses and repair of genetic materials becomes more active. This suggests that genes of the first group are being injured, while the second group is undertaking damage control.
A ray of hope—people from 45 to 71 years old differ widely. You just
may be one of the lucky ones. Now if I could only remember what I'm talking
about!
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.