What inspired you to pursue aging research?
In studying biological systems, it has been useful to examine instances when a particular system is broken or hyperactive. This has led to much disease-related work, which has been beneficial both for human health and in furthering our understanding of basic biology. In thinking about motor learning, I began to think of aging from this perspective: a naturally occurring instance in which learning is perturbed. I began to appreciate how fundamental this process is throughout our lifetime, and how it can impact the elderly, particularly after injury or surgery. Many motor diseases are also age-related, and it is, therefore, important to understand age-related changes to then examine how these can contribute to disease. I hope that focusing on learning in the aging motor circuit can lead to an advancement in our understanding of the basic biology of this system, as well as contribute to an improvement in the quality of life in the elderly.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
Aging research can require heavy upfront investment, which is particularly difficult for new labs or research groups who are considering aging work. This is a disadvantage to the field as labs with specific expertise may be deterred from undertaking aging-related work. AFAR grants help overcome this initial deterrent, fostering new perspectives and research in the aging field. Personally, receiving an AFAR grant as I establish my lab ensures that we can set up this work in the aging motor system as a core direction in the lab.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
Cellular metabolism is perturbed with age and is a known contributor to a number of age-related diseases. However, many neuronal processes are dynamic and energy-intensive, and we do not understand how neuronal circuits respond during periods of high energetic demand in this perturbed state. By focusing on glycolysis, a pathway predominantly engaged in neurons during the period of high activity, we aim to provide a mechanism by which the motor circuit loses its capacity to mediate learning, or which could play a compensatory role in a metabolically altered state. This mechanism could be more broadly implicated throughout the aging brain during a period of high demand and contributes to a more comprehensive, network-level view of metabolism in aging neurons.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
Motor learning is a process that allows us to adapt and interact with our environment, and it is critical throughout our lifespan. However, a decrease in our ability to perform this kind of learning has been documented with age. We aim to examine why neurons of the motor system are no longer capable of supporting this type of learning. We focus on cellular metabolism, which is particularly important in supporting energy-demanding processes like learning. More specifically, we are working on examining the contribution of glycolysis, a central metabolic pathway, to motor behavior and learning with age.
