Health
Scientists Discover Longevity Gene That Makes People Smarter
(The Health Site) – A recent study found that people who had a certain variant of the longevity gene KLOTHO were likelier to have enhanced cognitive abilities, Counsel and Heal reported.
The people who had KLOTHO had improved brain skills like thinking, learning and memory, regardless of their age or sex. Even the mice that had the gene variation were smarted, possibly by increasing the strength of connections between nerves cells in the brain.
‘This could be a major step toward helping millions around the world who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias,’ Dena Dubal, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of neurology at the David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegeneration at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), said in a statement. ‘If we could boost the brain’s ability to function, we may be able to counter dementias.’
The name Klotho is derived from the Greek goddess of fate who spins the thread of life.
