Theaging progresscould be controlledmeasuring lactic acid levels in the brain, according to a study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) published in the magazineProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Researchers have long suspected that aging occurs fromgradual damage to mitochondrial DNA, the genetic material of cellular organelles that produce energy from food. In addition, previous studies had linked mutations in human mitochondrial DNA with age-associated central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
On this occasion, the team of scientists led by Lars Olson examined the metabolic processes of the brain of normal and prematurely aging mice. And they discovered that the alteration of mitochondrial DNA triggers a metabolic change in the brain of mice that could alter the expression of certain genes that control the formation of lactic acid, an intermediate product of metabolism, mainly of the carbohydrate cycle.
According to the authors, this change produces an increase (up to double) in the levels of lactic acid in the brain that can be detected using non-invasive imaging techniques such as Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. The findings also suggest thatlactic acid levels rise earlier than other indicators of agingand that it could be used to detect age-related diseases of the central nervous system.
