Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly population. However, little is known about the etiology and molecular pathophysiology of AMD. AMD is characterized clinically by mottling of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) at the posterior pole of the fundus and scattered drusen, which is an opaque yellow...

Mitochondria have been proposed by others to be both initiators and targets of cellular degeneration associated with aging. The proposed work is designed to test specific hypotheses in which cellular degradation and aging are related to mitochondrial mutation. Measurement and implications of reversible intermediates in mitochondrial mutation.

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Every day our body must defend itself against countless foreign substances termed xenobiotics. Many of these substances are harmful and over time repeated exposures can damage the body and accelerate the aging process. Our ability to break down and excrete these foreign substances may be one of the factors that control lifespan. In the course...

The identification of specific genes that regulate the lifespan of different organisms has revealed key determinants of aging beyond environmental stress. While these remarkable discoveries have provided a genetic basis for lifespan, the fundamental mechanisms by which particular genes regulate aging are still a mystery. It is however clear that...

New neurons continue to be added to the brain of juvenile and adult vertebrates and this phenomenon has been studied in considerable detail in the high vocal center (HVC) of male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). It is not clear why some HVC neurons ñ but not others - are replaced and what might be the functional benefits of replacement...