Researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have identified a protein they say plays a central role in the aging of the brain. Their study, published in Nature Aging , showed that increased levels of the iron-binding protein ferritin light chain 1 (FTL1) drives structural and metabolic changes in the hippocampus impair memory and learning in aged mice. By reducing FTL1 in aged mouse models, the researchers restored synaptic function and cognitive performance.

“It is truly a reversal of impairments,” said senior author Saul Villeda, PhD, associate director of the UCSF Bakar Aging Research Institute. “It’s much more than merely delaying or preventing symptoms.”

The hippocampus, which regulates learning and memory, is highly vulnerable to aging. Understanding what

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