A research has discovered that excessive brain activity is connected to a shorter lifespan.
A recent study has discovered that excessive brain activity is connected to a shorter lifespan.
The Nature published an article titled “Regulation of lifespan by neural excitation and REST” the people who died before their mid-80s had lower levels in their brains of a protein called REST that downregulates genes involved in sparking brain activity, compared to the very oldest people.
The transcription factor REST is upregulated in humans with extended longevity and represses excitation-related genes, it said.
Notably, REST-deficient mice exhibit increased cortical activity and neuronal excitability during ageing, it added.
The findings reveal a conserved mechanism of ageing that is mediated by neural circuit activity and regulated by REST.
