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Mental health

GDF11 reverses mood and memory declines in aging

Nature Aging volume 3, pages 148–150 (2023)Cite this article

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Aging is known to be associated with a decline in memory and mood, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie these changes remain unclear. Moigneu, Abdellaoui and colleagues show that growth differentiation factor 11 reverses deficits in these functions in aged mice, pointing the way towards a novel pro-mnemonic and antidepressant therapeutic target.

Changes in memory and mood are hallmarks of aging. As a result, there is intense interest in identifying molecular factors that underlie the depressed mood and deterioration of memory that accompany aging in some individuals1. A study presented in Nature Aging by Moigneu, Abdellaoui and colleagues2 identifies growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) as a potentially key regulator of both age-related memory decline and increased depression-related behavior in mice. Uncovering this role for GDF11 advances our understanding of the connection between aging, memory and mood disorders, and — perhaps most excitingly — raises the prospect of targeting GDF11 as a means to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these ailments.

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Fig. 1: GDF11 supplementation reverses age-related deficits in mood and memory.

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Acknowledgements

P.P. and A.H. are supported by the NIAAA Intramural Research Program.

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  1. Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Patrick T. Piantadosi & Andrew Holmes

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  1. Patrick T. Piantadosi
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  2. Andrew Holmes
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Correspondence to Andrew Holmes.

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Piantadosi, P.T., Holmes, A. GDF11 reverses mood and memory declines in aging. Nat Aging 3, 148–150 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00362-9

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