(Press-News.org)
Ikoma, Japan—Age often brings a gradual decline in the ability to learn new things and retain memories. This phenomenon, often associated with the elderly, is linked to the brain’s deteriorating capacity to generate new neurons—a process that primarily occurs in the hippocampus —as neural stem cells (NSCs) divide and mature. Recent research suggests this decline begins much earlier in life than previously thought, potentially starting in early adulthood.
While it is established that overall decline in brain function is associated with dwindling NSCs, the precise underlying molecular changes and their timelines remain unclear. Epigenetic changes—modifications that affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence—play crucial roles in cellular aging, but their impact on NSCs remains unknown.
In this vein, a research team comprising Shuzo Matsubara, Kanae Matsuda-Ito, Haruka Sekiryu, Hiroyoshi Doi, Takumi Nakagawa, and Kinichi Nakashima from Kyushu University, Naoya Murao from the University of Miyazaki, and Hisanobu Oda from Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, and led by Associate Professor Taito Matsuda from the Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Brain Repair at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, set out to uncover the early aging processes in NSCs. Their study was made available online on June 3, 2025 and published on July 01, 2025, in Volume 44, Issue 13 of The EMBO Journal.
The researchers used single-cell sequencing techniques to analyze gene expression in NSCs and newly generated neurons across different life stages in mice. This enabled them to map the key molecular changes that NSCs undergo from birth through early adulthood, along with the corresponding alterations in their ability to produce new neurons.
A key discovery was linked to a gene called Setd8, which controls the addition of a chemical tag (molecule) on DNA-packaging proteins called histones. The researchers found that Setd8 showed a marked decrease in expression as the brain aged. In turn, this reduction in Setd8 levels was directly linked to impaired NSC activity and proliferation, as well as noticeable problems in memory in mice. The team also demonstrated that artificially lowering Setd8 levels mimicked various molecular signatures of aging NSCs, suggesting it could be a critical biomarker of early aging.
Overall, the results highlight the unknown role of Setd8 in NSC aging, which has strong implications from a biomedical standpoint. “Understanding how Setd8 affects neural stem cell aging opens the possibility of developing new therapies to slow down or reverse early brain aging. This could help preserve memory and learning ability, and may lead to future treatments for age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease,” remarks Dr. Matsuda. “This aligns with our laboratory’s research on cellular reprogramming technologies, which we hypothesized could make it possible to 'rejuvenate' aged, functionally declined cells.”
While further efforts will be needed to translate these findings into therapeutic solutions and clinical practice, Dr. Matsuda looks forward to continuing this exciting line of research. “I am deeply honored to be able to advance reprogramming research at the NAIST, where Professor Shinya Yamanaka initiated his groundbreaking work on induced pluripotent stem cells,” he concludes.
###
Resource
Title: Epigenetic regulation of neural stem cell aging in the mouse hippocampus by Setd8 downregulation
Authors: Shuzo Matsubara, Kanae Matsuda-Ito, Haruka Sekiryu, Hiroyoshi Doi, Takumi Nakagawa, Naoya Murao, Hisanobu Oda, Kinichi Nakashima, and Taito Matsuda
Journal: The EMBO Journal
DOI: 10.1038/s44318-025-00455-8
Information about the Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Brain Repair (Matsuda Lab) can be found at the following website: https://bsw3.naist.jp/matsuda/
About Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
Established in 1991, the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) is a national university located in Kansai Science City, Japan. In 2018, NAIST underwent an organizational transformation to promote and continue interdisciplinary research in the fields of biological sciences, materials science, and information science. Recognized as one of the most prestigious research institutions in Japan, NAIST lays a strong emphasis on integrated research and collaborative co-creation with diverse stakeholders. NAIST envisions conducting cutting-edge research in frontier areas and training students to become future leaders in science and technology.
END
PHILADELPHIA (Juny 24, 2025) – A new Penn Nursing study led by Jungwon Min, PhD, MS, Research Professor and Director of the BECCA Lab, uncovers a significant association between neighborhood firearm violence exposure, involvement in fighting, and adolescents' perceived ability to obtain a firearm outside the home. The research is available in the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study, Neighborhood Firearm Violence, Psychosocial Risks, and Youth Firearm Perception, highlights that adolescents ...
Precision cancer treatment on a larger scale is moving closer after researchers have developed an AI platform that can tailor protein components and arm the patient's immune cells to fight cancer. The new method, published in the scientific journal Science, demonstrates for the first time, that it is possible to design proteins in the computer for redirecting immune cells to target cancer cells through pMHC molecules.
This dramatically shortens the process of finding effective molecules for cancer treatment from years to a few weeks.
"We are essentially creating a new set of eyes for the immune system. ...
Key takeaways
New research shows that metasurfaces could be used as strong linear quantum optical networks
This approach could eliminate the need for waveguides and other conventional optical components
Graph theory is helpful for designing the functionalities of quantum optical networks into a single metasurface
In the race toward practical quantum computers and networks, photons — fundamental particles of light — hold intriguing possibilities as fast carriers of information at room temperature. Photons are typically controlled and coaxed into quantum ...
Researchers have demonstrated that microscopic drug delivery containers can be magnetically steered to their targets, advancing the development of precision medicine for treating diseases such as cancer.
A multi-university team led by Jie Feng, a professor of mechanical science and engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, demonstrated that magnetic particles encapsulated in lipid vesicles can be used to steer the vesicles through fluids. This work, published in the Royal Society of ...
URBANA, Ill. — Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have analyzed 96 years of forest census data to better understand ecological changes and inform management practices. Their study, published in Forest Ecology and Management, reveals concerning homogenization trends. This means the forest has become less diverse over time, losing trees that played a critical role in its ecosystem.
The researchers analyzed census data from Trelease Woods, which the university acquired in 1917. Homogenization was linked to the spread of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, ...
DURHAM, N.C., July 23, 2025 — On Tuesday, July 22, members of the Duke University men’s basketball and football teams participated in American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) trainings to learn the correct rate and depth of CPR compressions to be confident and capable when faced with a cardiac emergency. According to American Heart Association data, nearly 9 out of every 10 of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if ...
A study comparing the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in lean and obese primates found different long-term consequences of the virus depending on prior obesity and metabolic disease. The results, which also highlighted how widespread long COVID symptoms are in animals, were published July 24th in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Charles Roberts of Oregon Health & Science University, USA, and colleagues.
Long-term adverse consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, termed “long COVID” or post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC), are a major component of overall COVID-19 disease ...
Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2025) — New peer-reviewed research in the journal Science demonstrates the power of strict legal bans against industrial fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs). The analysis — which combines satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technology to detect previously untraceable vessels — reveals that most of the globe’s fully and highly protected MPAs successfully deter illegal fishing. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that the most strictly protected marine reserves are well ...
Proteins are life’s molecular workhorses, doing everything from turning sunlight into food to fighting viruses. They are built from 20 different types of amino acid molecules, so even a small protein made of 60 amino acids in length can, in theory, be constructed in a quinquavigintillion, or 10⁷⁸, different ways. That’s about as many atoms there are in the entire universe.
How did evolution choose the handful of amino acid combinations that result in proteins which fold, stay stable and get the job done? And can we learn these rules ...
Illegal fishing is a global problem that threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and the economic viability of the fishing industry. Marine protected areas (MPAs)—zones set aside to safeguard marine life—are a key tool for conservation, but monitoring them has been a long-standing challenge.
Researchers led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Jennifer Raynor showed that artificial intelligence methods applied to satellite data provide a powerful new way to assess industrial fishing activity in MPAs, bridging blind spots in current ...
