Tal Iram, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, shares the findings of a series of investigations into factors influencing aging in mice. Parabiosis and plasma transfer studies between young and aged mice demonstrated the ability to reverse many aspects of aging in the aged mice, including restoration of neuronal plasticity and reduction of neuroinflammation. As cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the immediate environment of brain cells and is known to undergo significant composition changes with age, studies went on to perform CSF transfers from young to aged mice. Young mouse CSF was infused into the ventricles of aged mice for 6 days before conducting memory tests and hippocampal transcriptomic signature assessments. It was found that the young CSF improved memory function in the aged mice. Oligodendrocytes emerged as the cells most prominently responded to the young CSF. Studies are ongoing to identify CSF factors that induce these beneficial effects. This interview took place during the ACTRIMS Forum 2021.
