The Brain & Aging — The National Institute of Aging has awarded Dr. Dongsheng Cai a five-year $2.4 million grant to support his study of how aging processes may be affected by the IKKb/NK-κB pathway involved in immune system activation and inflammation. Research involving the brain’s hypothalamus has shown that this pathway plays an important role in aging. Dr. Cai is studying hypothalamic astrocytes, a type of brain cell that supports neurons, and whether activation of the IKKb/NF-κB pathway in astrocytes early in the aging process may cause these cells to produce inflammatory factors that damage neurons. Dr. Cai’s lab will look at physiological, histological, and molecular effects on mouse models in which individual components of the IKKb/NF-κB pathway have been knocked out in particular cell types. These results could lead to better understanding of the precise cellular mediators of brain inflammation and may offer new targets for treating age-related illnesses in the brain. Dr. Cai is professor of molecular pharmacology.
Posted on: Wednesday, June 24, 2015