Brain aging study: The brain's immune system may begin changing around midlife, according to a new NIH-funded study. Researchers found that immune cells in the hippocampus gradually shift with age, offering a possible clue into why aging is associated with long-lasting inflammation in the brain.
The researchers examined postmortem hippocampal tissue from 40 neurologically healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 95. They found that microglia, the brain's main immune cells, gradually declined from about age 50 to 75, as per a Sciencedaily report. At the same time, they appeared to be replaced by cells with stronger inflammatory signals and characteristics similar to immune cells that originate in peripheral blood.
