Role of hematopoietic aging in cognitive decline

We recently demonstrated that transplantation of young bone marrow cells rescued hippocampal learning and memory in old recipient mice. Our study also implicated CCL11/eotaxin-1 in microglial reactivity during aging, which likely underlies neurotoxicity and synapse loss. CCL11 was reduced in the circulation of old recipients of young bone marrow, which likely contributed to their improved cognitive function. Thus, targeting CCL11 or its receptor may be an effective strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.