Can microRNAs in the Bloodstream Signal Cognitive Decline?

Listen to a blog summary about a trending research paper published by Aging (Aging-US as the cover of Volume 14, Issue 17, entitled, "Extracellular microRNA and cognitive function in a prospective cohort of older men: The Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study.” __________________________________________ Can factors in our bloodstream tell us about our cognitive abilities or predict cognitive decline later in life? Among individuals with dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), studies have identified extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers of cognitive impairment. In cognitively normal individuals, however, this association has not yet been fully investigated. “Understanding the functions of miRNAs in the earliest stages of cognitive decline will expand our knowledge on the biology of prodromal AD and the roles of circulating miRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases and could result in identification of therapeutic targets to guide drug development [17].” In a new research paper, published on the cover of Volume 14, Issue 17, of Aging (listed as “Aging (Albany NY)” by Medline/PubMed and “Aging-US” by Web of Science), researchers Nicole Comfort, Haotian Wu, Peter De Hoff, Aishwarya Vuppala, Pantel S. Vokonas, Avron Spiro, Marc Weisskopf, Brent A. Coull, Louise C. Laurent, Andrea A. Baccarelli, and Joel Schwartz from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine, and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health investigated expression levels of extracellular miRNAs circulating in blood plasma taken from cognitively normal men and the association between these miRNAs and cognitive function. Their secondary goal was to investigate the genes and biological pathways associated with miRNAs linked to cognitive function or decline. The research paper was published on September 6, 2022, and entitled, “Extracellular microRNA and cognitive function in a prospective cohort of older men: The Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study.” Full blog - https://aging-us.org/2022/09/can-micrornas-in-the-bloodstream-signal-cognitive-decline/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204268 Corresponding author - Nicole Comfort - nicole.comfort@columbia.edu Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.204268 Press release - https://aging-us.com/news_room/Extracellular-microRNA-and-cognitive-function-in-a-prospective-cohort-of-older-men Keywords - aging, plasma, extracellular RNA, RNA-seq, microRNA, cognitive decline, cognitive impairment About Aging-US Launched in 2009, Aging-US publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging-US go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways. Please visit our website at https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/Aging-Us Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/agingus​ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ Media Contact 18009220957 MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM