Decreasing calorie intake and tweaking the activity of the hormone insulin are two methods long known to increase lifespan in a wide range of organisms. Now, biologists have uncovered evidence that these life-extending mechanisms have a range of effects on learning and memory.
Biologists at Princeton University looked at the effects of caloric restriction on cognitive function in roundworms and found that restricting calories impaired long-term memory in early adulthood. But surprisingly, the worms did not suffer further memory reduction with age, suggesting that caloric restriction may guard against memory loss over time.
In contrast, the worms with reduced insulin signaling demonstrated improved long-term memory performance in early adulthood and maintained learning ability better with age. However, these worms were not protected against age-related declines in long-term memory.
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Photo credit: Coleen Murphy/Princeton
Interesting.
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