Genomics of Brain Aging: Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genomes

In recent times, the study of genomic changes associated with age has been improved by the introduction of microarray technology, which allows the detection of whole-genome expression profiles using single samples. Nuclear transcriptional modifications associated with the physiology and pathology of brain aging indicate the involvement of multiple relevant pathways. Several of these pathways are shared by cells bearing mitochondrial DNA mutations, which are known to increase with age. Taken together, these studies may help to define the role of mitochondria in the process of aging and eventually to identify a genomic fingerprint of brain aging. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.