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Scientists at the University of Texas have discovered that a protein in red blood cells can be a powerful foe of the loss of hearing and memory, and also brain inflammation, that too often accompany aging.
The protein is called ADORA2B and is known to release more oxygen from red blood cells when people are outdoors at high altitudes where oxygen lessens.
As we age, our blood tends to have less oxygen too.
Knowing that, the research team theorized that increasing the amount of ADORA2B in the blood could protect the brain from some age-related maladies.
To test the idea, the group genetically engineered mice lacking the ability to make ADORA2B. As they aged, the defective mice showed greater cognitive deficits, hearing loss, and brain inflammation than an unaltered group of mice did.
Also, when the engineered mice were subjected to reduced oxygen in the air around them, they showed more mental and physical deterioration than the control group. Tests found that their red blood cells were unable to release more oxygen to cope with the deficit.
Next, the researchers are designing compounds that, when injected into engineered mice, may be able to restore or even boost their ability to make ADORA2B and prevent or reverse age-related mental and physical decay.
TRENDPOST: Life in a natural body will always end; a heart has only so many beats to give. But as scientists continue to find ways to counteract age-related deterioration, by mid-century, living to 100 or longer with mind and body relatively intact will be not only common, but also normal.