Mechanisms of klotho and platelet activation to counter cognitive aging
Cognitive aging is one of our biggest biomedical challenges with no effective medical treatments. Klotho is a longevity factor and reverses cognitive impairments in the aging brain through systemic treatment. Recently, we found that klotho treatment increased platelet factors in the blood, suggesting a novel biological action of klotho in platelet activation. This research focuses on determining i) whether and how klotho activates platelets throughout the lifespan – and testing ii) whether platelet factors are messengers of klotho in attenuating deficits of cognitive aging in mice. The impact of the proposed studies will deepen our understanding of how the body signals to the brain to affect aging, unravel a new role for platelets in the aging brain, provide a link between klotho, platelets, and cognitive aging, and may open a new therapeutic path to treatment of cognitive aging.
