Hormonal control of ageing

Question 1

What 2 major interventions have a whole systemic effect on ageing?

Answer 1

Insulin interventions and calorie deficit.

Question 2

What happens to ageing when you remove the pituitary gland?

Answer 2

Helps maintain collagen integrity in animals, didn’t make them live longer but seems they lived healthier.

Question 3

What happens when you remove the pituitary gland and supplement an animal with stress hormones?

Answer 3

The animal lives longer.

Question 4

What is the relationship between ageing and hormones?

Answer 4

Ageing is typically associated with a decline in hormone level.

Question 5

What happens to the levels of growth hormone with age?

Answer 5

Decrease drastically after 50.

Question 6

Can growth hormones reverse ageing?

Answer 6

In the study done in humans muscle performance improved but no evidence for overall ageing but successful in dwarf mice.

Question 7

What is Laron syndrome?

Answer 7

Mutant GH receptor resulting in high GH and very low IGF-1.

Question 8

What are the advantages with laron syndrome?

Answer 8

Don’t live longer but have lower levels of cancer and low diabetes.

Question 9

What is the effect of reducing IGF on ageing?

Answer 9

Reduces it.

Question 10

What happen when you reduce IFG too far?

Answer 10

Diabetes

Question 11

What mechanisms are involved with growth hormone signalling?

Answer 11

Inflammation
Growth
Defence
Metabolic adjustments.

Question 12

What happens with woman’s hormones during menopause?

Answer 12

FSH up
LH up
Estradiol low
Inhibin low
Progesterone low.
Ovulation is no longer possible.

Question 13

Why does ovulation no longer occur during menopause?

Answer 13

Because the negative feedback loop is no longer possible.

Question 14

What happens during perimenopause (approaching full menopause)?

Answer 14

FSH up
LH surge low and more erratic
Inhibin low.
Results in shortened follicular phase.
More twins

Question 15

Why does the body produce twins during perimenopause?

Answer 15

This is because the body releases more eggs, the body’s last push in reproduction.

Question 16

What is the function of Calorie Restriction?

Answer 16

Calorie Restriction preserves ovaries and on refeeding can reproduce at late ages.

Question 17

What happened in mice when they gave an old mouse, young mouse ovaries?

Answer 17

Extended life span and healthier profile.

Question 18

What is the advantage of oestrogen for life span?

Answer 18

Upregulates antioxidants, less ROS.

Question 19

What happens in the body when you reduce FSH?

Answer 19

Increases bone mass, and increases survival and mobility.

Question 20

How is reducing LH beneficial?

Answer 20

Improves cognitive function, reduces chances of dementia.

Question 21

What happens to testosterone with ageing?

Answer 21

Declines with age.

Question 22

What would the advantage restoration of testosterone be for ageing?

Answer 22

Sexual function, bone and muscle strength.

Question 23

What would the disadvantage of restoration of testosterone be for ageing?

Answer 23

Increases risk of prostate cancer

Question 24

What is the idea of the reproductive/survival trade off?

Answer 24

Women who have more kids live less because they spend more energy on having children.

Question 25

What is the effect of chronic stress on ageing?

Answer 25

Not associated with long life.

Question 26

What is DHEA?

Answer 26

Produced in adrenal glands and it is a steroid normone.

Question 27

What is the effect of high levels of DHEA on ageing?

Answer 27

Higher survival.

Question 28

What is the effect of melatonin on ageing?

Answer 28

Increases both life span but more likely to develop tumours.