BLUEPRINT TO TARGET THE SPINAL CORD MOTOR CIRCUITRY TO PRESERVE AND RESTORE MOBILITY IN OLD AGE
Gregorio Valdez · 2023
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Description
Gregorio Valdez lays out a 2023 blueprint for keeping older people mobile by targeting the spinal cord's motor circuitry. Motor neurons drive every voluntary move through vast webs of synapses, and their loss or disconnection would cripple motion in old age. The surprising claim here is that these neurons largely survive aging.
Work across mice, monkeys, and humans shows aged motor neurons stay alive but shed excitatory inputs across their bodies and branches. The circuit thus tilts toward inhibition, which may explain why starting a move gets harder with age. Aged neurons also show odd gene shifts tied to synapse pruning by support cells, inflammation, fiber regrowth, and oxidative stress. Valdez argues the neurons may help drive their own synapse loss, and that saving those inputs, not the cells, is the real target for preserving mobility.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Gregorio Valdez |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2023 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 2 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |