Gene Variant Associated With Longer Life

A new study shows a gene variation associated with longevity could result in better brain cognition as individuals age. 

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that those who had the gene variation, a single copy of the KOTHO allele known as KL-VS had larger volumes in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) of their brains. The KL-VS codes for a protein known as klotho that circulate in the body and also present throughout the animal kingdom are also produced in the kidneys and brain, which helps with the regulation of aging.

"Genetic variation in KLOTHO could help us predict brain health and find ways to protect people from the devastating diseases that happen to us as we grow old, like Alzheimer's and other dementias," said Dr. Dena Dubal, assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, in a news release. 

The rDLPFC region interacts with many other brain regions that are most known for their roles in executive function, higher-level cognitive skills for control and coordinating cognitive abilities and behaviors that are related to working memory, decision-making and focus.

"This type of cognition is really important in sophisticated and very simple types of thinking," said lead study author Jennifer Yokoyama, an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, via FoxNews.com.

However, the rDLPFC is very vulnerable to aging and tends to get smaller, leading to lower cognition. 

Furthermore, researchers found that with two copies of KL-VS, which is found in about three percent of people, there was a shorter lifespan, increased cardiovascular risk, worsened cognitive function, and a smaller rDLPFC.

"We've known for a long time that people lose cognitive abilities as they age, but now we're beginning to understand that factors like klotho can give people a boost and confer resilience in aging," said senior author Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at UCSF and the David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease. "Genetic variation in KLOTHO could help us predict brain health and find ways to protect people from the devastating diseases that happen to us as we grow old, like Alzheimer's and other dementias."

The UCSF team performed whole-brain analysis on 222 cognitively normal adults aged 53 to 85. Participants underwent neurological tests including games and puzzles that probed different aspects of executive function, such as processing speed, strategizing, and shifting attention.

To further verify their findings, researchers looked at data from an additional 200 healthy adults aged 52 to 94 from the Memory and Aging Project at Rush University Medical Center and found the same link between presence of KL-VS and a larger brain region and better cognitive function.

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