Using young rats, researchers have developed a model for the aging brain that will help them learn what counteracts the damage to brain cells caused by naturally generated oxygen free radicals. The researchers produced losses in cognitive and motor function in young rats by first reducing levels of a natural antioxidant, glutathione, in the animals' brains. Then they added the hormone dopamine, which rapidly oxidizes, generating free radicals. 412-418, and vol. The brain is rather deficient in natural antioxidants, especially considering that it uses a lot of oxygen, which generates free radicals.
Studies show that antioxidant levels diminish with age.
So the aging brain appears to be an easy target for oxidative damage. They will use this model to test the protective effects of antioxidant vitamins and other beneficial compounds in plant foods, or phytonutrients, such as flavonoids. They will look for antioxidants that cross the blood-brain barrier and compounds that stimulate the cells to produce adequate levels of natural antioxidants. Manufactured in fat tissue, leptin is a biochemical cue for curbing appetite and burning calories. They ranged in age from 8 to 17 years.