Cell Stem Cell
Volume 10, Issue 1, 6 January 2012, Pages 96-103
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Short Article
Rejuvenation of Regeneration in the Aging Central Nervous System

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Summary

Remyelination is a regenerative process in the central nervous system (CNS) that produces new myelin sheaths from adult stem cells. The decline in remyelination that occurs with advancing age poses a significant barrier to therapy in the CNS, particularly for long-term demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we show that remyelination of experimentally induced demyelination is enhanced in old mice exposed to a youthful systemic milieu through heterochronic parabiosis. Restored remyelination in old animals involves recruitment to the repairing lesions of blood-derived monocytes from the young parabiotic partner, and preventing this recruitment partially inhibits rejuvenation of remyelination. These data suggest that enhanced remyelinating activity requires both youthful monocytes and other factors, and that remyelination-enhancing therapies targeting endogenous cells can be effective throughout life.

Highlights

► Systemic factors from young mice reverse inefficient CNS remyelination in old mice ► This effect is reduced if the recruitment of young monocytes is inhibited ► Recruitment of young monocytes enhances clearance of myelin debris in old animals

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These authors contributed equally to this work