ArticleGeroScience2020
Molecular changes associated with spinal cord aging.
Article in GeroScience, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Treating age-related loss of muscle mass and function: Where should we be focusing?The Journal of physiology · 2026Review
- Fiber type specific tibialis anterior muscle atrophy and oxidative capacity reduction is contemporaneous with death of larger lumbar motor neurons in old rats.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- The evidence for old age motor neuron death: A scoping review.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Spinal cord extracellular matrix hydrogel enhances organoid maturation and functional regeneration after spinal cord injury.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Spinal cord structural and functional architecture and its shared organization with the brain across the adult lifespan.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Episodic denervation as a driver of loss of skeletal muscle redox homeostasis and muscle weakness in sarcopenia: Possible amelioration by exercise.Sports medicine and health science · 2025Review
- Age-related increase in the excitability of mouse layer V pyramidal neurons in the primary motor cortex is accompanied by an increased persistent inward current.GeroScience · 2025Article
- Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging Detects Anatomical and Functional Changes in Rat Cervical Spine Microvasculature With Normal Aging.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024Article
- Neuroprotective treatment with the nitrone compound OKN-007 mitigates age-related muscle weakness in aging mice.GeroScience · 2024Article
- Autophagy markers LC3 and p62 in aging lumbar motor neurons.Experimental gerontology · 2024Article
- Old age alters inflammation and autophagy signaling in the brain, leading to exacerbated neurological outcomes after spinal cord injury in male mice.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2024Article
- Telomere shortening induces aging-associated phenotypes in hiPSC-derived neurons and astrocytes.Biogerontology · 2024Article
- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging detects anatomical and functional changes in rat cervical spine microvasculature with normal aging.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Molecular hallmarks of ageing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2024Review
- The nitrone compound OKN-007 delays motor neuron loss and disease progression in the G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Article
- Chronic pain in the elderly: Exploring cellular and molecular mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives.Frontiers in aging · 2024Review
- Article
- Aging and urinary control: Alterations in the brain-bladder axis.Aging cell · 2023Review
- The Brain and Spinal Microvasculature in Normal Aging.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Review
- Aging alters mechanisms underlying voluntary movements in spinal motor neurons of mice, primates, and humans.JCI insight · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Age-related muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) is a universal problem in the elderly. Our previous studies indicate that alpha motor neurons (α-MNs) play a critical role in this process. The goal of the current study is to uncover changes in the aging spinal cord that contribute to loss of innervation and the downstream degenerative processes that occur in skeletal muscle. The number of α-MNs is decreased in the spinal cord of wildtype mice during aging, beginning in middle age and reaching a 41% loss by 27 months of age. There is evidence for age-related loss of myelin and mild inflammation, including astrocyte and microglia activation and an increase in levels of sICAM-1. We identified changes in metabolites consistent with compromised neuronal viability, such as reduced levels of N-acetyl-aspartate. Cleaved caspase-3 is more abundant in spinal cord from old mice, suggesting that apoptosis contributes to neuronal loss. RNA-seq analysis revealed changes in the expression of a number of genes in spinal cord from old mice, in particular genes encoding extracellular matrix components (ECM) and a 172-fold increase in MMP-12 expression. Furthermore, blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability is increased in old mice, which may contribute to alterations in spinal cord homeostasis and exacerbate neuronal distress. Together, these data show for the first time that the spinal cord undergoes significant changes during aging, including progressive α-MNs loss that is associated with low-grade inflammation, apoptosis, changes in ECM, myelination, and vascular permeability.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.