DW

Question 1

Give examples of diseases whose risk increases with age

Answer 1

Cancer
Dementias
Cataract

Question 2

If increasing age increases risk of some diseases, what should slowing ageing cause?

Answer 2

Slowing of the onset of disease

Important to give older people good QoL

Question 3

What is fueling research into ageing and ways to achieve “healthy ageing”?

Answer 3

An ageing population and the increasing medical cost to treat elderly patients and age-related diseases

Question 4

What is evolutionary theory of ageing and what finding contradicts this?

Answer 4

Ageing is secondary consequences of adaptations that increase fitness. Implies many genes are involved in ageing
Finding of single gene mutations that increase lifespan of model organisms contradicts this

Question 5

What are the two types of ageing experiments that can be performed on humans and what problems are associated with them?

Answer 5

Longitudinal study - study group of people over time. Takes a very long time
Cross-sectional - groups of people of different ages and compare them. People have different histories (e.g. war famine)

Question 6

What are the advantages of model organisms in the study of ageing?

Answer 6

Provide controlled experimental approach
Grow quickly (days/weeks)
Can control extrinsic factors
Genetic manipulation can provide links to molecular mechanisms - potential targets in humans

Question 7

Ageing is easy to recognise but hard to…?

Answer 7

Measure

Need to use biomarkers.
Lifespan is imperfect but easily measurable biomarker of ageing

Question 8

What is Gompertz’s Law (1825)?

Answer 8

Mortality increases exponentially with age

Question 9

Does the exponential increase in mortality demonstrated by Gompertz’s law support the theory of programmed ageing or stochastic ageing?

Answer 9

Stochastic

Exponential accumulation of damage

Question 10

What is the effect of temperature of many poikilothermic animals?

Answer 10

In Drosophila and C. elegans, lifespan is increased at lower temperatures

Question 11

What is the key point of most evolutionary theories of aging?

Answer 11

That there is no selection after reproductive period

Question 12

What is antagonistic plieotrophy?

Answer 12

Idea that mutations that increase fitness in early life have a negative effect in later life and enhance aging

Question 13

What is meant by phenotypic trade offs?

Answer 13

Idea that the more resources an organism invests in reproduction, the less resources less for long term survival