Villanueva-Castillo CA, Galván EJ

Language: Spanish
References: 6
Page: 85-88
PDF size: 44.55 Kb.

ABSTRACT

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, Mexico is experiencing an increase in the elderly population, as a consequence of the increase in the population’s life expectancy and a decrease in fertility rates. Although aging alone does not represent a social or health problem, the emerging pathologies associated with senescence in the late period of life impacts negatively on several aspects of human wealth. Although the aging process affects the entire body equally, it is most acutely perceived in the loss of cognitive capacities. Therefore, there is growing interest is the cellular physiology of senescence, as understanding the changes underlying this phenomenon will eventually lead us to the development of novel therapies to counteract the harmful aspects of aging. In our laboratory, we are interested in understanding the changes in neuronal communication in the hippocampus, an area deeply involved in learning and memory. This review summarizes the most significant hypotheses of the processes of aging at the level of the central nervous system and the approaches we are currently using to study the senescence of the hippocampus.

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