Gerontology News and Research

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Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Mutation in newly discovered small protein linked to increase in Alzheimer's disease risk

A mutation in a newly discovered small protein is connected to a significant increase in the risk for Alzheimer's disease, expanding the known gene targets for the disease and presenting a new potential avenue for treatment, according to a new USC study.

21 Sep 2022

Researchers successfully deliver a common blood pressure drug directly to cells’ ‘power plants’

In a study using lab-grown cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers specializing in aging report they have successfully delivered a common blood pressure drug directly to the inner membrane of mitochondria, the "power plants" in the cells of humans, animals, plants and most other organisms.

20 Sep 2022

Clearing pollution helps clear the fog of aging — and may cut the risk of dementia

During the past decade, a growing body of research has shown that air pollution harms older adults' brains, contributing to cognitive decline and dementia. What hasn't been clear is whether improving air quality would benefit brain health.

20 Sep 2022

Study investigates link between plasma miRNAs and cognitive function among cognitively normal men

A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed as "Aging (Albany NY)" by Medline/PubMed and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 14, Issue 17, entitled, "Extracellular microRNA and cognitive function in a prospective cohort of older men: The Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study."

15 Sep 2022

‘It’s becoming too expensive to live’: Anxious older adults try to cope with limited budgets

Economic insecurity is upending the lives of millions of older adults as soaring housing costs and inflation diminish the value of fixed incomes.

7 Sep 2022

Covid-19 study highlights a continued drop in U.S. life expectancy

An updated analysis of American COVID-19 deaths throughout 2021 highlights a continued drop in overall life expectancy as well as persistent disparities by race and ethnicity.

2 Sep 2022

Combination of anemia and weak muscles increases the risk of death in older people

A study by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil and University College London in the United Kingdom shows that a combination of anemia and weak muscles in older people heightens the risk of death in ten years by 64% for men and by 117% for women.

29 Aug 2022

Weill Cornell Medicine laryngologist wins Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging

Dr. Anaїs Rameau, an assistant professor of otolaryngology and an attending laryngologist at the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging by the National Institute on Aging, the American Federation for Aging Research and the John A. Hartford Foundation.

26 Aug 2022

Lower brain tissue oxygenation puts frailer older adults with multi-morbidity at risk of faints and falls

Researchers from Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) and the Department of Medical Physics at St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin have discovered that brain tissue oxygenation is lower in frailer older adults with multiple health conditions (multi-morbidity), putting them at risk of faints and falls. Brain oxygenation - the measure of oxygen in brain tissue - reflects the balance between oxygen delivery and consumption and is vital for the maintenance of normal brain function and tissue integrity.

18 Aug 2022

Novel tool measures general and COVID‐19-specific sources of nurses' moral distress

The COVID‐19 pandemic created novel patient care circumstances that may have increased nurses' moral distress, including COVID‐19 transmission risk and end‐of‐life care without family present. Moral distress is a growing concern in healthcare with implications for both provider and patient outcomes.

4 Aug 2022

Novel age predictor helps investigate heterogeneity in brain aging

A new research paper was published in Aging (abbreviated as "Aging (Albany NY)" by Medline/PubMed and as "Aging-US" by Web of Science) on the cover of Volume 14, Issue 14, entitled, "Aging the brain: multi-region methylation principal component based clock in the context of Alzheimer's disease."

3 Aug 2022

Persistent loss of smell due to COVID-19 may better predict long-term cognitive, functional impairment

New insights into factors that may predict, increase or protect against the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic on memory and thinking skills were revealed by multiple studies reported today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2022 in San Diego and virtually.

31 Jul 2022

Study investigates the combined effects of aging and HIV-1 Tat expression in mice

A new research paper was published in Aging ("Aging (Albany NY)" by Medline/PubMed, "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 14, Issue 13, entitled, "Age-related neuroendocrine, cognitive, and behavioral co-morbidities are promoted by HIV-1 Tat expression in male mice."

29 Jul 2022

Weill Cornell Medicine-led consortium secures $14 million grant to study emerging technologies for aging adults

A Weill Cornell Medicine-led consortium has been awarded a five-year, $14.7 million renewal grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health for a research Center focused on employing emerging and existing technologies to help promote the well-being, quality of life and independence of diverse populations of older adults and provide support for older adults with cognitive impairments.

28 Jul 2022

TTUHSC School of Nursing professor awarded Gerontological Society of America fellowship

The Gerontological Society of America, the driving force behind advancing innovation in aging awarded fellow status to Alyce S. Ashcraft, Ph.D., RN, professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the Texas TechUniversity Health Sciences School of Nursing.

1 Jul 2022

New study investigates the epigenetic drift of time passing

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) on the cover of Volume 14, Issue 12, entitled, "Time makes histone H3 modifications drift in mouse liver."

30 Jun 2022

Feeling young can increase the chances of successful rehabilitation from medical conditions

As scientists gradually discover evidence that people who feel younger than their chronological age are typically healthier and more psychologically resilient, the saying "you're only as old as you feel" rings increasingly true.

22 Jun 2022

Stress accelerates aging of the immune system

Stress - in the form of traumatic events, job strain, everyday stressors and discrimination - accelerates aging of the immune system, potentially increasing a person's risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and illness from infections such as COVID-19, according to a new USC study.

13 Jun 2022

Recently born generations of older adults more likely to have multiple chronic health conditions

Later-born generations of older adults in the United States are more likely to have a greater number of chronic health conditions than the generations that preceded them, according to a study conducted by Penn State and Texas State University.