Advancing Research
by funding Grant Programs and Fellowships
Driving Innovation
by guiding studies such as the FAST Initiative, the SuperAgers Initiative, and the TAME Trial
Furthering the Field
by supporting the infrastructure of three NIA Initiatives and leading the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative.
Top Breakthroughs driven by AFAR Experts
Delaying Disease by Targeting Aging
Saving Costs by Extending Healthspan
What are the Hallmarks of Aging?
How and Why Do We Age?
What is Geroscience?
What is the Longevity Dividend?
What's Next in aging research?
The hormone oxytocin plays a critical role in the regulation of mammalian reproduction and participates in the balance of energy input and output. Oxytocin has also recently garnered interest as a potential "rejuvenation hormone" based on studies showing that peripheral administration of oxytocin may improve muscle regeneration following injury or improve bone mass in older mice. However, these studies did not investigate whether oxytocin influences normal aging and the effect of manipulating the oxytocin signaling system on aging has never been measured.
During her postdoctoral studies, Dr. Garrison discovered that the related peptide nematocin regulates mating and reproduction in C. elegans worms, as oxytocin does in mammals. This finding suggests that oxytocin signaling represents an ancient hormonal system for the regulation of reproduction that is evolutionarily conserved from invertebrates to humans. More recently, Dr. Garrison and her group found that nematocin regulates aging in worms. As both the biological basis of aging and the functional architecture of the nervous system are highly conserved between worms and humans, this provides a model system to rapidly dissect the role of oxytocin in aging.
Dr. Garrison and her team are now studying how nematocin influences aging traits in worms. They will use this simple model to identify the underlying genes and pathways involved, and to explore how oxytocin signaling influences healthspan and lifespan. A comprehensive understanding of the function of oxytocin in aging will be essential for the design of appropriate interventions to modulate aging-related chronic and degenerative conditions, as well as for understanding conditions indirectly linked to alterations in oxytocin signaling such as obesity.
