Calcium and neuronal ageing

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Item Type:	Editorial
Title:	Calcium and neuronal ageing
Creators Name:	Verkhratsky, A. and Toescu, E.C.
Abstract:	Brain ageing is associated with a marked decline in mental faculties. One hypothesis postulates that sustained changes in the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, are the major cause of neuronal degeneration. This 'calcium hypothesis' is supported by demonstrations of the impairment in aged neurones of molecular cascades that regulate [Ca2+]i. However, the number of direct measurements of [Ca2+]i in senescent neurones is limited, and the hypothesis cannot be regarded as fully confirmed. Furthermore, physiological brain ageing, at least in certain regions, need not necessarily be a degenerative process accompanied by neuronal loss. Pharmacological manipulation of Ca2+ entry has been shown to be effective in increasing some aspects of cognitive function of the aged brain. Therefore, further exploration of Ca2+ homeostasis and signalling might reveal the mechanisms involved in the age-dependent decline in neuronal performance, and might aid the search for new therapeutic treatments.
Keywords:	Intracellular Calcium, Calcium Signalling, Calcium Currents, Neuronal Ageing, Neurodegeneration, Brain Slices, Animals
Source:	Trends in Neurosciences
ISSN:	0166-2236
Publisher:	Elsevier
Volume:	21
Number:	1
Page Range:	2-7
Date:	January 1998
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-2236(97)01156-9
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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