Researchers at the University at
Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions have discovered how a gene in
the brain's dopamine system can play an important role in prolonging
lifespan: it must be coupled with a healthy environment that includes
exercise.
The study, led by Panayotis (Peter) K. Thanos, senior research scientist at RIA, appears in the current, online version of Oncotarget Aging, a top-ranked aging journal.
Thanos and his team studied the genes in dopamine
to assess their impact on lifespan and behavior in mice. Dopamine is a
neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure
centers and helps regulate physical mobility and emotional response.
The researchers found that the dopamine D2 receptor gene
(D2R) significantly influences lifespan, body weight and locomotor
activity, but only when combined with an enriched environment that
included social interaction, sensory and cognitive stimulation and, most critically, exercise.
"The incorporation of exercise is an important component of
an enriched environment and its benefits have been shown to be a
powerful mediator of brain function and behavior," Thanos says.
The mice in the enriched environment lived anywhere from 16
to 22 percent longer than those in a deprived environment, depending on
the level of D2R expression.
"These results provide the first evidence of D2R
gene-environment interaction playing an important role in longevity and
aging," Thanos says. "The dichotomy over genes versus environment has
provided a rigorous and long debate in deciphering individual
differences in longevity. In truth, there exists a complex interaction
between the two which contribute to the differences."
Research exploring this genetic-environmental interaction
should lead to a better understanding and prediction of the potential
benefits of specific environments, such as those including exercise, on
longevity and health during aging.
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