Protein Found In Umbilical Cord Could Hold Key To Rejuvenating Memory Center In Brain
In a study, cold blood improved the performance of aged mice as they engaged in memory and learning tasks, such as maze-running and fear-conditioning exercises.
Los Angeles Times:
Can Scientists Rejuvenate An Aging Brain With A Protein Found In Umbilical Cord Blood?
What old brains need is a shot of young blood — and the younger the better. It may sound like a metaphor employed by a randy octogenarian. But new research on mice suggests it can be taken quite literally. Writing in the journal Nature, Stanford University anti-aging researchers reported Wednesday that they have found a “restorative factor for the aged hippocampus.” It’s a protein called tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2, or TIMP2, that is found in the blood of young humans — and most copiously in umbilical cord blood. (Healy, 4/19)