Calorie Restriction Slows Loss of Neurogenesis
Neural plasticity is the ability of the brain to remodel and adapt, and one of the necessary mechanisms supporting this process is neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons. The practice of calorie restriction has been shown to slow the age-related decline in numerous mechanisms in the brain, which is to be expected since it slows near every measurable aspect of aging in the course of producing extended life in laboratory species.
Production of new neurons from stem cells is important for cognitive function, and the reduction of neurogenesis in the aging brain may contribute to the accumulation of age-related cognitive deficits. Restriction of calorie intake and prolonged treatment with rapamycin have been shown to extend the lifespan of animals and delay the onset of the age-related decline in tissue and organ function.Using a reporter line in which neural stem and progenitor cells are marked by the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), we examined the effect of prolonged exposure to calorie restriction (CR) or rapamycin on hippocampal neural stem and progenitor cell proliferation in aging mice. We showed that CR increased the number of dividing cells in the dentate gyrus of female mice. The majority of these cells corresponded to nestin-GFP-expressing neural stem or progenitor cells; however, this increased proliferative activity of stem and progenitor cells did not result in a significant increase in the number of newborn neurons [with markers of precursor cells]. Our results suggest that restricted calorie intake may increase the number of divisions that neural stem and progenitor cells undergo in the aging brain of females.