Scientists find key to ageing process deep in our brains

Scientists have found a region in the brain that controls ageing — opening up possibilities for slowing age-related diseases and increasing lifespan.

In tests, they found the signalling pathway in the brain region known as the hypothalamus, could speed up or slow down ageing in mice. If it applies in humans, it could have huge potential.

“There’s really not much understanding regarding the mechanism of ageing,” said senior author Dr Dongsheng Cai, a molecular pharmacologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.