Age affects the brain’s response to physical and cognitive stimuli: it matures in young people and rejuvenates in older people.
CSIC scientists reveal the 3D structure of DNA in mouse neurons during ageing and after environmental stimulation.
The results show that external stimuli, such as learning or physical activity, influence the brain differently depending on age: young and old people do not process or benefit from the environment in the same way.
Scientists from the National Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) have studied the changes that occur in the brain during ageing and the effect of physical and cognitive stimulation on mouse neurons. The results suggest that the impact of external stimuli is largely dependent on the individual’s age. The work, published in the journal Cell Reports, , was carried out at the Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory of the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN), a joint centre of the CSIC, the Government of the Principality of Asturias, and the University of Oviedo.
Today, there is growing interest in promoting healthy ageing and achieving old age with the highest possible quality of life, free from disease and disability.
Previous studies conducted by the CINN research group have shown that lifestyle factors such as physical activity, education, and nutrition have a decisive impact on health throughout life. However, one aspect that had not been considered until now is the influence of these stimuli on the brain at different stages of life.
Ageing and environmental enrichment
This study, led by the CSIC, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), used an experimental model based on ‘environmental enrichment,’ which consists of housing mice for several months in a space that offers a wide variety of stimuli (toys, wheels, tunnels, etc.). This environment enhances the cognitive, physical, and social activity of the animals and mimics a lifestyle intervention that could be achieved through different activities in humans.
The study examined young and elderly mice subjected to this environmental enrichment, analysing the spatial structure of DNA within the neurons of the hippocampus, a brain region particularly relevant to processes such as memory and learning. It was observed that the result of the stimulation depended on the age at which the intervention was performed. In fact, in elderly mice, changes associated with ageing were reversed, while in young mice, changes associated with development and maturation were promoted.
Mario Fernández Fraga, coordinator of the Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, points out that “the results of our work show the molecular and epigenetic impact that lifestyle has on the brain, which reinforces the importance of interventions to promote healthy ageing”. This study lays the foundations for future work in this field. “We have generated data on the three-dimensional structure of DNA using state-of-the-art technology, applied for the first time in a study of this type. Our results will be of great use to the scientific community, as they show how neurons change with ageing, as well as after cognitive and physical stimulation”, explains Agustín Fernández Fernández, principal investigator at the same laboratory.
The molecular results of the study revealed that external stimuli have different effects when they occur at different stages of life. “Some of the molecular alterations associated with ageing observed in elderly individuals are reversed by environmental enrichment, indicating that an active and dynamic lifestyle can promote brain rejuvenation”, says Javier Gancedo Verdejo, a scientist at the CSIC and first author of the study. In addition, Rocio González Urdinguio, a senior scientist at the CSIC who co-led the study, adds: “We have seen that the impact of cognitive and physical stimulation is completely different depending on the age of the individual. In the case of young mice, environmental enrichment seems to promote the development and maturation of neurons”.
From left to right: Mario F. Fraga, Agustín F. Fernández, Rocío G. Urdinguio and Javier Gancedo Verdejo
The Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory at the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC) is part of the University Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA, Universidad de Oviedo), the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA), and the CIBER of Rare Diseases (CIBERER, Instituto de Salud Carlos III).
In addition, this work has involved the participation of researchers from the 3D Chromatin Organisation Laboratory, led by Biola M. Javierre, at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), and José Luis Trejo’s laboratory at the Cajal Institute(IC-CSIC).
