Age induced pathology; homosapiens
Change gender Age change starts Age change ends Description Tissues References
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart, Skin, Brain 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a form of dementia whose incidence is strongly age-related. According to Hebert et al., AD is about 14 times more common in individuals 85 years and older than in individuals 65 to 69 years of age. Brain 2673: (1996) "Alzheimer's Disease: Cause(s), Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care" |2737: Hebert et al. (1995) "Age-specific incidence of Alzheimer's disease in a community population." JAMA 273(17):1354-1359 (7715060)|2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Blood 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Aorta 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Cartilage 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Cartilage 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Lung 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85 Ageing of the vascular wall results in a decrease in elasticity of the artery and in its compliance leading to an increase in susceptibility to artherosclerosis. Artery 2644: B Jani and C Rajkumar (2006) "Ageing and vascular ageing" Post Graduate Medical Journal 82:357-362|2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2960: (1987) "Atherogenesis and Aging"
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Bladder 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Mammary Gland 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 18 85   Whole Body 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Whole Body 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Whole Body 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Intestine 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Uterus 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Oesophagus 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Urinary System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Larynx 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Tongue 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Liver 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Lymphoreticular System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Central Nervous System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Respiratory System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Cervix 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Liver And Biliary System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Liver 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Respiratory System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male -1 -1 Changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) share physiologic and immunologic changes with that of an ageing lung. Immune system changes seen with ageing seem to contribute to increased incidence of COPD. Lung 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 One of the major changes observed in the heart is an increase in coronary artery disease with age. The prevalence of coronary artery disease increases markedly with age to at least 50% in men by the end of the sixth decade and is occult in at least 50% of these. Also, in women, coronary atherosclerosis increases with age unit the eight decade (from 30 though 89 years) when the atherocelerosis tends to level off. Heart, Artery 2695: ACKERMAN et al. (1950) "Relationship of various factors to the degree of coronary atherosclerosis in women." Circulation 1(6):1345-1354 (15414552)|2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2843: Tejada et al. (1968) "Distribution of coronary and aortic atherosclerosis by geographic location, race, and sex." Lab. Invest. 18(5):509-526 (5681195)|2925: Rodeheffer et al. (1984) "Exercise cardiac output is maintained with advancing age in healthy human subjects: cardiac dilatation and increased stroke volume compensate for a diminished heart rate." Circulation 69(2):203-213 (6690093)
Female 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 Incidence of cytomegalovirus infection increases with age and may accelerate the ageing of the immune system. Immune System 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Female 20 75   Whole Body 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Whole Body 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Pancreas 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 18 85   Tooth 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 18 85   Tooth 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Lung 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1   Lung 2726: Spence, A. P. (1988) "Biology of Human Aging"
Male and Female 18 85   Heart, Kidney 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Heart 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 50 74 Banks et al. found that hip fracture incidence increases steeply with age in middle-aged women, being roughly seven times higher at age 70-74 than at 50-54. Femur 2645: Banks et al. (2009) "Hip fracture incidence in relation to age, menopausal status, and age at menopause: prospective analysis." PLoS Med. 6(11):e1000181 (19901981)
Male and Female 18 85   Hematological System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Whole Body 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Artery 2867: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Hypertension, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Artery 2867: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Hypertension, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart, Kidney 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1   Alimentary System 2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female 18 85   Respiratory System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Kidney 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Hematological System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 0 84   Lung 2909: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Edentulism (loss of all natural teeth), ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)|2929: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Cardiovascular System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 18 85   Brain 2721: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Mental health, serious psychological distress, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 18 85   Brain 2721: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Mental health, serious psychological distress, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing leads to more severe manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease, in particular after age 50. Oesophagus, Stomach 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female 18 85   Lymphoreticular System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Hematological System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 Degenerative joint disease whose incidence is age-related. Overlaps with normal joint aging. Joint 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences" |2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female 18 85   Heart 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Ovary 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Whole Body 2958: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Overweight/obesity, ages 20+: US, 1988-2008 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Pancreas 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Central Nervous System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Stomach 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Respiratory System 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 73 84 Presbycusis is age-associated sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss refers to dysfunction occurring in the inner ear, cochlea, or auditory nerve. This is contrast to conductive hearing loss, which refers to deficits in external sounds getting to the inner ear. One study of Medicare recipients aged 73 to 84 found hearing loss in 60%, and high-frequency hearing loss in 77%. Presbycusis is typically bilateral. Cochlea 2905: Weber, P. C. (2010) "Etiology of hearing loss in adults" (http://www.uptodateonline.com)
Male and Female 18 85   Prostate 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1   Renal Vasculature 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female 18 85   Kidney 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Blood 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Skin 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 Prevalance of small airway obstruction increases with age. Lung 2773: Shin et al. (2003) "Prevalence and correlates of airway obstruction in a community-based sample of adults." Chest 123(6):1924-1931 (12796169)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female 18 85   Stomach 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Brain 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Female 20 75   Brain 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Brain 2879: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Chronic conditions, ages 18+: US, 1997-2008 (Source: NHIS)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female 18 85   Liver 2801: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2006) "Mortality by underlying and multiple cause, ages 18+: US, 1981-2006 (Source: NVSS) (2006 data only)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 The kidney's ability to secrete acid load decreases with age. Kidney 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)|2883: Adler et al. (1968) "Effect of acute acid loading on urinary acid excretion by the aging human kidney." J. Lab. Clin. Med. 72(2):278-289 (5671202)
Male and Female -1 -1 Labored breathing index becomes increasingly abnormal with age. Respiratory System 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Though particularly associated with the pathological features of dementias like Alzheimer's, plaques like amyloid deposits are present in individuals without overt neuropathology and appear to be a feature of normal ageing. Brain 2906: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 76
Male and Female -1 -1 I.e. liposfucsin, \aging pigments\". These accumulated materials are hypothesized to contribute to the reduced elimination of autophagosomes." Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male 3 -1 Neuromelanin formation in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra exhibit various developmental phases. The proportion of the cell occupied by the pigment remains constant in adults. However both biochemical measurements of solublized neuromelanin and direct counts of isolated pigment granule numbers using flow cytometry indicate that the amount of pigment progressively increases with advanced age. Substantia Nigra 2668: Fedorow et al. (2006) "Evidence for specific phases in the development of human neuromelanin." Neurobiol. Aging 27(3):506-512 (15916835)|2789: Halliday et al. (2005) "Alpha-synuclein redistributes to neuromelanin lipid in the substantia nigra early in Parkinson's disease." Brain 128(Pt 11):2654-2664 (16000336)|2910: Zecca et al. (2002) "The absolute concentration of nigral neuromelanin, assayed by a new sensitive method, increases throughout the life and is dramatically decreased in Parkinson's disease." FEBS Lett. 510(3):216-220 (11801257)|2961: Double et al. (2008) "The comparative biology of neuromelanin and lipofuscin in the human brain." Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 65(11):1669-1682 (18278576)
Male 0 15 Bone marrow stromal cells derived from 15-month-old mice developed more adipocytes than cells derived from 4-weeks old mice. Bone Marrow 2855: Li et al. (2011) "Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) affects the lineage fate determination of mesenchymal stem cells: a possible cause for reduced osteogenesis and increased adipogenesis in older individuals." J. Bone Miner. Res. 26(11):2656-2664 (21812028)
Male and Female 22 93 Study of young (22-30 years old; mean 25) and old (70-93 years old; mean 78) healthy sedentary individuals showed that the amount of advanced glycation end products increases by ~200% with ageing. In contrast, collagen concentration and pyridinoline cross-links are not significantly changed with aging. Additionally, all general skeletal muscle protein pools are reduced with aging (myofibrillar by 5%, sarcoplasmic by 8%), while the two main contractile proteins, myosin and actin, are not significantly changed. The proportion of MHC I in the muscle increases with aging, whereas MHC IIa and IIx are reduced. Muscle 3457: Haus, JM et al. (2007) "Collagen, cross-linking, and advanced glycation end products in aging human skeletal muscle." J. Appl. Physiol. 103(6):2068-2076 (17901242)
Male and Female 40 83 Starting with mid-life there are age differences in the classical conditioning of the eyelid response. Regardless of age, subjects with low amplitude unconditioned responses condition poorly. In the group of subjects with normal amplitude unconditioned response, there is a correlation between age and the total percentage of conditioned responses (0.58). Eyelid 2663: Woodruff-Pak and Thompson (1988) "Classical conditioning of the eyeblink response in the delay paradigm in adults aged 18-83 years." Psychol Aging 3(3):219-229 (3268262)
Male and Female -1 -1 Air flow resistance increases with age. Lung 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female 26 87 Albumin levels were significant lower in thirty-seven elderly subjects (median age, 87, range 70-95 years; median: 42 g\\L) than in 22 young subjects (median age, 26, range 21-37 years; median: 46 g\\L). Plasma 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 Aldosterone secretion, aldosterone blood levels (undetectable at ~65 years of age) and aldosterone clearance decrease with age. Plasma, Adrenal Gland 2676: Flood et al. (1967) "The metabolism and secretion of aldosterone in elderly subjects." J. Clin. Invest. 46(6):960-966 (6026101)
Male and Female 20 85 With age, human hematopoietic stem cells increase in frequency, are less quiescent, and exhibit myeloid-biased differentiation potential. The gene expression profile is also altered, genes associated with cell cycle, myeloid lineage specification, and myeloid malignancies, being transcriptionally up-regulated. Hematopoietic Stem Cells 2761: Pang et al. (2011) "Human bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells are increased in frequency and myeloid-biased with age." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108(50):20012-20017 (22123971)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, there are alterations in the structural proteins and the cell membranes of the lenses. Lens 2814: Truscott and Zhu (2010) "Presbyopia and cataract: a question of heat and time." Prog Retin Eye Res 29(6):487-499 (20472092)
Male and Female -1 -1 Compared with young subjects, neuronal mitochondrial metabolism and glutamate–glutamine cycle flux is ∼30% lower in elderly subjects. The reduction in individual subjects correlates strongly with reductions in N-acetylaspartate and glutamate concentrations consistent with chronic reductions in brain mitochondrial function. In elderly subjects age-related changes are observed in glial mitochondrial metabolism. Brain 2941: Boumezbeur et al. (2010) "Altered brain mitochondrial metabolism in healthy aging as assessed by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy." J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 30(1):211-221 (19794401)
Male and Female -1 -1 The cardiovascular responses of older men during direct passive heating were characterized by a smaller increase in cardiac output as well as less redistribution of blood flow from the splanchnic and renal circulations, when compared with young individuals. Cardiovascular System 2700: Minson et al. (1998) "Age alters the cardiovascular response to direct passive heating." J. Appl. Physiol. 84(4):1323-1332 (9516200)
Male and Female 20 80 The lens membrane potential and resistance declines markedly with age while internal Na+ and free Ca2+ increases. A concomitant stimulation of Na+ and K+ transmembrane fluxes exists. The increase in permeability also coincides with the increase in optical density that occurs in the ageing human lens. Lens 2669: Duncan et al. (1989) "Human lens membrane cation permeability increases with age." Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 30(8):1855-1859 (2759800)
Male -1 -1 Age-related morphological changes in lung tissue result in increased alveolar duct size. Alveolus 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Alveoli's ability to remain open during expiration decreases with age. Alveolus 2948: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 164
Male and Female 30 -1 A measurement of arterial stiffness, aortic pulse wave velocity increases with age. Also, the favorable tuning between left ventricle and arterial tree is progressively lost with ageing. Aorta 2745: O'Rourke (2007) "Arterial aging: pathophysiological principles." Vasc Med 12(4):329-341 (18048471)
Male and Female -1 -1 Neutrophils have a diminished response with age to anti-apoptotic stimuli such as to granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Neutrophil 2886: Tortorella et al. (2007) "Age-related impairment of GM-CSF-induced signalling in neutrophils: role of SHP-1 and SOCS proteins." Ageing Res. Rev. 6(2):81-93 (17142110)
Male and Female -1 -1 The elasticity of the arteries gradually decreases with age and arterial rigidity increases. In other words, there is a decreased percentage increase in arterial volume under standard pressure. Artery 2745: O'Rourke (2007) "Arterial aging: pathophysiological principles." Vasc Med 12(4):329-341 (18048471)|2840: Kohn, R. R. (1977) "Heart and cardiovascular system." in Handbook of the Biology of Aging.Pp. 281-317
Male -1 -1 Arteriosclerosis is the age-related stiffening of the arteries. Artery 2743: Wilkinson. IanB, McEniery. Carmel M (2012) "Arteriosclerosis Inevitable or Self-Inflicted?" Hypertension 60:3-5
Male and Female -1 -1 With age there is an atrophy of all four layers of the large intestine. Large Intestine 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing-related atrophy of hypodermal layer. However, this is a regional change, usually affecting the face and back of hands and not waist/thighs. Subcutaneous 2890: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 143
Male and Female -1 -1 Atrophy of mucosal lining in small intestine is observed with age. Small Intestine 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 With advanced age, there is an attenuated vasoconstriction response during cold exposure in both peripheral and non-acral skin. This appears to be true even when fitness, body size and composition are taken into account. Skin 2777: Collins et al. (1977) "Accidental hypothermia and impaired temperature homoeostasis in the elderly." Br Med J 1(6057):353-356 (837095)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 20 79 Diffusion tensor imaging suggests that the cerebral white matter exhibits age-related degenerative changes such as loss of axons. Lambda1 corresponds to the diffusivity in the long axis of the diffusion ellipsoid. The loss of axons may be prominently reflected by the decrease of Lambda1. White Matter 2769: Wang et al. (2010) "Normal aging in the basal ganglia evaluated by eigenvalues of diffusion tensor imaging." AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 31(3):516-520 (19892817)
Male 40 90 Experiments on Males between the ages of 40 and 90 years showed that the basal metabolism changes with age. Although the calculated surface area of individuals diminishes slightly with increasing age, the basal heat production, or oxygen uptake, falls at an even greater rate so that basal metabolism per unit of surface area shows a gradual decline. Whole Body 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male 20 90 The basal oxygen uptake per kilogram of body water, did not change significantly with age. Whole Body 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female -1 -1 Basement membranes of glomeruli and tubules thicken with age. Renal Tubule, Glomerulus 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)|2898: Darmady et al. (1973) "The parameters of the ageing kidney." J. Pathol. 109(3):195-207 (4719771)
Male and Female -1 -1   B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female 30 -1 Benign prostatic hyperplasia, an increase in size of the prostate, is common with age with an incidence raising from 8% in the fourth decade to 50% in the fifth decade of life. Possibly prostate growth is initiated before the patient is 30 years of age with growth slowing down with age. Prostate 3001: Berry et al. (1984) "The development of human benign prostatic hyperplasia with age." J. Urol. 132(3):474-479 (6206240)
Male and Female 30 89 Beta-amyloid protein deposition increases linearly with age. The age gradient for amyloid deposition varies as a function of region; the precuneus, temporal cortex, and anterior and posterior cingulate show the greatest increases with age, while less pronounced age-related increases are found in the dorsolateral prefrontal and orbital-frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices. Brain 2897: Rodrigue et al. (2012) "β-Amyloid burden in healthy aging: regional distribution and cognitive consequences." Neurology 78(6):387-395 (22302550)
Male and Female -1 -1 The percentage of mesenchymal stem cells positive for beta-galactosidase was found to be significantly higher in individuals over the age of 55 vs. individuals under the age of 50 (4-fold average increase). No clear age-associated trend increase was evident in the data, but this might be explained by the small sample size (17 subjects). Mesenchymal Stem Cell 2891: Zhou et al. (2008) "Age-related intrinsic changes in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their differentiation to osteoblasts." Aging Cell 7(3):335-343 (18248663)
Male and Female -1 -1 Age-related increase in blood cholesterol promotes atherosclerosis pathogenesis. Plasma 2747: Chisholm, G. M. and D. Steinberg (2000) "The oxidative modification hypothesis of atherogenesis: An overview" Free Rad. Biol. Med 28:1815-1826
Male and Female -1 -1 Katzung et al. state that older adults (aged 60-80 years) have 55-60% the hepatic blood flow rate compared to young adults (aged 20-30). This may play a large part in the age-associated changes in the clearance of liver-metabolized drugs. Liver 2699: Katzung et al. (2009) "Chapter 60. Special Aspects of Geriatric Pharmacology" in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (http://basic-clinical-pharmacology.net/chapter%2060_%20special%20aspects%20of%20geriatric%20pharmacology.htm)
Male and Female 26 87 Blood interleukin 6 (IL6) level was significant higher in thirty-seven elderly subjects (median age, 87, range 70-95 years; minimum: 0.48 pg\\mL, median: 1.61 pg\\mL, maximum: 12.68 pg\\mL) than in 22 young subjects (median age, 26, range 21-37 years; minimum: 0.24 pg\\mL, median: 0.84 pg\\mL, maximum: 2.31 pg\\mL). Plasma 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)|717: Ershler and Keller (2000) "Age-associated increased interleukin-6 gene expression, late-life diseases, and frailty." Annu. Rev. Med. 51:245-270 (10774463)
Male 20 90 Venous blood sugar levels are slightly increased in older subjects. The fasting arterial blood sugar level is apparently unaffected by age in Males. Plasma 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female 26 87 Blood tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) level was significant higher in thirty-seven elderly subjects (median age, 87, range 70-95 years; minimum: 0.20 pg\\mL, median: 0.91 pg\\mL, maximum: 3.38 pg\\mL) than in 22 young subjects (median age, 26, range 21-37 years; minimum: 0.11 pg\\mL, median: 0.52 pg\\mL, maximum: 1.69 pg\\mL). Plasma 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male 20 90 Estimates of blood volume, using the Evans-blue dye technique, were made in 60 subjects. Elderly individuals, who are free from any clinical signs of fluid accumulation or edema, have approximately the same blood volume per unit of body weight as the young subjects studied. Blood 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female -1 -1 The susceptibility to apoptosis of B naive cells decreases in aged individuals. Memory B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2983: Chong et al. (2005) "CD27(+) (memory) B cell decrease and apoptosis-resistant CD27(-) (naive) B cell increase in aged humans: implications for age-related peripheral B cell developmental disturbances." Int. Immunol. 17(4):383-390 (15724062)
Male and Female -1 -1 Fat as a percentage of body weight increases with age. There are progressive trends toward increasing upper and central body fat deposition with age with a postmenopausal acceleration of these trends in women. Whole Body 2792: J.V.G.A. Durnin, J. Womersley (1973) "Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness : measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years" Journal of Nutrition (http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FBJN%2FBJN32_01%2FS0007114574000614a.pdf&code=2ae91e414b714b0b28e851f47f408cbf)
Male and Female -1 -1 The amplitude of the body temperature circadian rhythm decreases with age. Whole Body 2685: Baehr et al. (2000) "Individual differences in the phase and amplitude of the human circadian temperature rhythm: with an emphasis on morningness-eveningness." J Sleep Res 9(2):117-127 (10849238)
Male and Female 20 98 Mean body temperature (measured orally) decreases slightly with age (0.3 degrees F between youngest and oldest groups) in both Females and Males. Whole Body 2766: Waalen and Buxbaum (2011) "Is older colder or colder older? The association of age with body temperature in 18,630 individuals." J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 66(5):487-492 (21324956)
Male and Female 2 -1 In C57BL/6 mice, body weight increases until 15-20 months, and after 24 months decreases. Whole Body 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 An increased porosity resulting from the continuous bone remodelling reduces the structural strength of the bone. The remaining bone becomes more brittle with age via a paradoxically increase in mineralization of the remaining bone tissue. As such, the bone of an elderly person, when subjected to pressure, is more likely to snap and cause a clean fracture which is less likely to heal. In contrast the bone of younger persons is more flexible, because of the higher organic composition of its matrix. Bone 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Based on 9423 subjects from the longitudinal Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, bone density of total hip and femoral neck decreases with age. Measurements taken at baseline then 3 and 5 years later. Bone 2754: Berger et al. (2008) "Change in bone mineral density as a function of age in women and men and association with the use of antiresorptive agents." CMAJ 178(13):1660-1668 (18559803)
Male 42 104 In young mice the rapid growth is marked by substantial increase in bone size, mineral mass and mechanical properties. Maturation occurring between 12 and 42 weeks of age was characterized with the maintenance of bone mass and mechanical properties. From the peak levels, mice aged for 104 weeks exhibited decreased whole femur mass, percentage of mineralization diminished whole bone stiffness, energy to fracture and decreased cortical thickness. Periosteal perimeter and, consequently the cross-sectional moments of inertia continued to increase through 104 weeks, compensating for cortical thinning and increased brittleness due to decreased mineralization and stiffness. The shape of the mid-diaphysis became increasingly less elliptical in aged mice. After 52 weeks excessive endocortical resorption appeared, indicating a shift in normal mechanisms regulating bone shape and locating, suggestive of remodelling. Bone 2667: Ferguson et al. (2003) "Bone development and age-related bone loss in Male C57BL/6J mice." Bone 33(3):387-398 (13678781)
Male and Female 50 -1 With age, bone resorption exceeds bone synthesis, leading to decreased bone mass. Bone 2679: Garen, S (1975) "Bone loss and aging" in The Physiology and Pathology of Human Aging39-58|2834: Exton-Smith, A. N. (1985) "Mineral metabolism" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed.Pp. 511-539|2881: Fossel, M. (2004) "Cells, Aging, and Human Disease. " in Cells, Aging, and Human Disease.
Female 40 -1 The bone mineral content reaches a maximum value during the 30s and then declines beginning in the 40s in women. The reduction in mineral density from age 40 on parallels that decline in average mineral concentrations. Ulna 2917: Doyle (1969) "Radiological measurement of skin thickness and bone mineral." Sci Basis Med Annu Rev133-145 (4917833)
Male and Female -1 -1 Likely due to continual bone remodeling and causing decreases in bone structural strength. Bone 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male 20 80 Total osteocyte lacunar number decreases during ageing which is accompanied by an increase in hypermineralized lacunar occlusion. These changes indicate a failure or delay in bone remodeling and repair during ageing. Bone 2887: Busse et al. (2010) "Decrease in the osteocyte lacunar density accompanied by hypermineralized lacunar occlusion reveals failure and delay of remodeling in aged human bone." Aging Cell 9(6):1065-1075 (20874757)|2937: Riggs and Melton (1986) "Involutional osteoporosis." N. Engl. J. Med. 314(26):1676-1686 (3520321)
Female 50 -1 Cortical (compact) bone resorption increases starting at 50 years of age in white Females. Bone 2679: Garen, S (1975) "Bone loss and aging" in The Physiology and Pathology of Human Aging39-58
Male and Female -1 -1 Brain matter total volume declined approximately 0.5%/year over a 4 year study period with 70 years mean age at baseline. Brain 2775: Resnick et al. (2007) "Vulnerability of the orbitofrontal cortex to age-associated structural and functional brain changes." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1121:562-575 (17846159)
Male and Female 50 88 The volume of all brain structures decrease over the lifespan, starting at age 50. The brain actually increases in size from about 357 g at birth to a peak size of about 1300 g at age 20 years. This weight is maintained until about 55-65 years of age, which marks the beginning of a progressive decline in weight through the age of 80 years. As result there can be as much as an 11% decrease in mean brain weight, or a 6% decrease in mean brain size, in the elderly relative to the young adult. Brain 2892: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 171|2940: Davison (1987) "Pathophysiology of ageing brain." Gerontology 33(3-4):129-135 (3308642)
Male and Female -1 -1 Longitudinal changes in the brain volume are not uniform suggesting a nonlinear regional brain aging. The age-related shrinkage of the brain is widespread, and its magnitude varies across regions. The caudate, the cerebellum, the hippocampus and the association cortices shrunk significantly with age. There was minimal change in the entorhinal and none in the primary visual cortex. Shrinkage of the cerebellum decreased from young to middle adulthood, and increased from middle adulthood to old age. Shrinkage of the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortices, the inferior temporal cortex and the prefrontal white matter increased with age. Shrinkage in the hippocampus and the cerebellum accelerated with age. Brain 2819: Raz et al. (2005) "Regional brain changes in aging healthy adults: general trends, individual differences and modifiers." Cereb. Cortex 15(11):1676-1689 (15703252)
Male -1 -1 The most important regressive change in cartilage with age is that of calcification, in which minute granules on inorganic calcium slats are deposited in the matrix. The granules become enlarged and merge with one another and as a result the cartilage becomes hard and brittle. Cartilage 2847: Leeson, C. R. and Leeson, T. S. (1970) "Histology"
Male and Female -1 -1 Deposition of inorganic calcium granules in cartilage matrix. Cartilage 2847: Leeson, C. R. and Leeson, T. S. (1970) "Histology"
Male and Female -1 -1 Calcification of costal cartilage occurs with age which affects lung dynamic compliance. Thorax, Cartilage 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Calcium absorption in intestine decreases after age 70.    
Male -1 -1 Calcium binding capacity decreases in neurons, though please note this is not uniform and there are localized exceptions to this general trend. Brain 2672: Toescu and Verkhratsky (2007) "The importance of being subtle: small changes in calcium homeostasis control cognitive decline in normal aging." Aging Cell 6(3):267-273 (17517038)
Male and Female -1 -1 When isolated mesenchymal stem cells were cultured in a osteoblast differentiation medium, differentiation was found to be decreased in cells isolated from older vs. younger subjects as assessed via alkaline phosphatase activity and semi-quantitative RT-PCR for osteoblast markers. However, there was a small subject size (7 older, 55 years; 3 younger, under age 50). Mesenchymal Stem Cell 2891: Zhou et al. (2008) "Age-related intrinsic changes in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their differentiation to osteoblasts." Aging Cell 7(3):335-343 (18248663)
Male and Female -1 -1 The capacity of neuromusclar junctions to transmit impulses decreases with age. Respiratory System 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Carbohydrate homeostasis deficits are evident following a glucose challenge, or glucose tolerance test. The rate at which blood glucose returns to normal is decreased with ageing. The glucose uptake vs. insulin dose-response curve is shifted to the right; this is associated with a decrease in sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin; this is not associated with decreased released/circulating insulin, nor changes in insulin receptor number/quality. Endocrine System 2916: Spence, J. C. (1921) "Some observations on sugar tolerance with special reference to variations found at different ages" Q. J. Med. 4:314-326
Male and Female -1 -1 One study observed that cardiac output / body surface area (cardiac index) decreased, though this trend may not be universal. Heart 2732: BRANDFONBRENER et al. (1955) "Changes in cardiac output with age." Circulation 12(4):557-566 (13261308)
Male and Female -1 -1 Asbestos transformation of cartilage refers to its transformation to an abstestos-type consistency resulting from altered fiber production. Cartilage 2778: Bloom, W. and D. W. Fawcett (1968) "A Textbook of Histology, 9th edition"
Male and Female -1 -1 The calcification of the matrix interferes with the ready diffusion of nutrients and waste products to and from the cartilage cell, and the cells die. Cartilage 2847: Leeson, C. R. and Leeson, T. S. (1970) "Histology"
Male 20 -1 The cartilage loses its translucence, its bluish color typical of young cartilage changes by age 20 to an opaque yellowish color. Cartilage 2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female 30 -1 Cracking and fraying of the surface of cartilage joints becomes visible by the age of 30. Cartilage 2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female -1 -1 Cartilage asbestos transformation may spread over large areas, resulting in matrix softening and cavity formation. Cartilage 2778: Bloom, W. and D. W. Fawcett (1968) "A Textbook of Histology, 9th edition"
Male -1 -1 The ageing cartilage cells retain the ability to make matrix, however the rate of synthesis decreases relative to that of degradation, and the types of fibrils present in the matrix are changed. Cartilage 2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease in hydration results in decreased cartilage resiliency. Cartilage 2735: Squires et al. (2003) "The pathobiology of focal lesion development in aging human articular cartilage and molecular matrix changes characteristic of osteoarthritis." Arthritis Rheum. 48(5):1261-1270 (12746899)
Male -1 -1 Fewer cells are present with age in cartilage, and the protein matrix undergoes some complex incompletely understood changes. Cartilage 2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female -1 -1 Intima cell proliferation increases with age. Arterial Intima 2747: Chisholm, G. M. and D. Steinberg (2000) "The oxidative modification hypothesis of atherogenesis: An overview" Free Rad. Biol. Med 28:1815-1826
Male and Female -1 -1 Hypertrophy is an increase in cell size. This left ventricle wall hypertrophy is responsible for increase in left ventricle wall thickness, rather than hyperplasia (increase in number of cells). Left Ventricle 2736: Hangartner et al. (1985) "The assessment of cardiac hypertrophy at autopsy." Histopathology 9(12):1295-1306 (2937709)
Male and Female -1 -1 A decrease in oxygen and glucose consumption, and subsequent reduction in blood flow, is observed with age. Brain 2973: Baron and Marchal (1992) "[Cerebral and cardiovascular aging and brain energy metabolism. Studies with positron-emission tomography in man]." Presse Med 21(26):1231-1237 (1409478)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, the amount of cerebral spinal fluid increases, which is an indirect measure of brain atrophy. Brain 2775: Resnick et al. (2007) "Vulnerability of the orbitofrontal cortex to age-associated structural and functional brain changes." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1121:562-575 (17846159)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing change in weave of dermis collagen fibers, less collagen per unit surface area. Dermis 2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female -1 -1   B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, there is an increase in abdominal fat, in particular visceral fat, combined with a decrease in lower body subcutaneous fat. These changes can occur independent of changes in total adiposity, body weight or waist circumference. An age-related increase in intermuscular fat in men and women, regardless of changes in weight or subcutaneous fat was also reported.    
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, there is an increase in keratan sulfate from age 50 in the epidermis, a decrease in chondroitin sulfate after age 60 in the basal lamina and, in the papillary dermis after age 50, there is an increase in the amount of dermatan sulfate and a decrease in novel chondroitin sulfate. Epidermis, Dermis 2733: Willen et al. (1991) "Patterns of glycosaminoglycan/proteoglycan immunostaining in human skin during aging." J. Invest. Dermatol. 96(6):968-974 (1710640)
Male and Female -1 -1 Dermis collagen fiber bundles become larger and coarser with age. Dermis 2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female -1 -1 Elastin fibers in lower dermis become thicker, longer, and less elastic with age. Dermis 2757: Robert et al. (1988) "Ageing of the skin: study of elastic fiber network modifications by computerized image analysis." Gerontology 34(5-6):291-296 (2464530)
Male and Female -1 -1 Chaperone-mediated autophagy is activated during oxidative stress, and therefore deficits in this pathway may play a significant role in age-associated oxidative stress mediated damage. Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male -1 -1 In vitro testing shows chemotaxis to be unaltered or only slightly reduced in neutrophils taken from elderly volunteers. Adhesion assays demonstrated no change to adhesion to epithelium. Neutrophil 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2786: Butcher et al. (2000) "Review article: ageing and the neutrophil: no appetite for killing?" Immunology 100(4):411-416 (10929066)
Male and Female -1 -1 Granulocyte macrophage colony simulating factor (GM-CSF) is a cytokine associated with stimulating neutrophil functions, including: cell adhesion, phagocytosis, respiratory burst priming. Chemotaxis and respiratory burst capacity in response to GM-CSF priming is decreased with age. Neutrophil 2886: Tortorella et al. (2007) "Age-related impairment of GM-CSF-induced signalling in neutrophils: role of SHP-1 and SOCS proteins." Ageing Res. Rev. 6(2):81-93 (17142110)
Male and Female -1 -1 Chemotaxis of dendritic cells and neutrophils is impaired in older adults. A diminished ability of calcium mobilization in stimulated neutrophils has been linked to reduced chemotaxis. Neutrophil, Dendritic Cell 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Female 20 75   Plasma 2816: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Cholesterol level, ages 20+: US, 1988-2010 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male 20 75   Plasma 2816: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) "Cholesterol level, ages 20+: US, 1988-2010 (Source: NHANES)" (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm)
Male -1 -1 Ageing cartilage cells synthesize and secrete chemically different forms of chondroitin sulfate, the major characteristic of which is that they are smaller molecules and consequently can bind less water. Cartilage 2735: Squires et al. (2003) "The pathobiology of focal lesion development in aging human articular cartilage and molecular matrix changes characteristic of osteoarthritis." Arthritis Rheum. 48(5):1261-1270 (12746899)
Male and Female -1 -1 As the aged cartilage cells synthesize and secrete chemically different forms of chondroitin sulfate, which are smaller, the water binding capacity is decreased. The increased inability to function as a cushion at the joints results in tissue damage, inflammation, and some cases, symptoms of osteoarthritis. Cartilage 2735: Squires et al. (2003) "The pathobiology of focal lesion development in aging human articular cartilage and molecular matrix changes characteristic of osteoarthritis." Arthritis Rheum. 48(5):1261-1270 (12746899)
Male and Female 17 98 SNP microarray analysis showed that chromosome deletions, duplications, and gene conversions are significantly more frequent in colon crypts from older individuals. Colon 3465: Hsieh, JC et al. (2013) "Large chromosome deletions, duplications, and gene conversion events accumulate with age in normal human colon crypts." Aging Cell 12(2):269-279 (23425690)
Male and Female -1 -1 Chronic inflammation increases with age, resulting in a high inflammatory background. Increases in the plasma concentrations of cytokines is associated with morbidity and mortality. Blood, Immune System 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2868: Franceschi et al. (2007) "Inflammaging and anti-inflammaging: a systemic perspective on aging and longevity emerged from studies in humans." Mech. Ageing Dev. 128(1):92-9105 (17116321)|491: Bruunsgaard et al. (2003) "Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and mortality in centenarians." Am. J. Med. 115(4):278-283 (12967692)|717: Ershler and Keller (2000) "Age-associated increased interleukin-6 gene expression, late-life diseases, and frailty." Annu. Rev. Med. 51:245-270 (10774463)
Male and Female 27 80 Growth hormone (GH) circadian profile was similar during the day in young, old and dementia patients, but significant lower during the night with ageing. In the elderly the physiological sleep-related nocturnal peak in GH was absent, while it exhibited abnormal diurnal peaks. There was a significant inverse relationship between age and GH levels at 02:00 h (66-92 years, mean age 80.3 vs. 19-43 years, mean 26.8). Plasma 2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female 27 80 Circadian profile of plasma melatonin of old individuals (66-92 years, mean age 80.3 vs. 19-43 years, mean 26.8) was clearly flattened, particular during the night (nocturnal peak was lower and index as well as amplitude was impaired). Plasma 2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female 27 80 Prolactin circadian profile was similar during the day in young, old and dementia patients, but significant lower during the night with ageing. The circadian profile of plasma prolactin was clearly flattened. Plasma 2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing leads to a decrease in the circadian amplitude of core body temperature and energy metabolism. Whole Body 2951: Halberg and Nelson (1978) "Chronobiologic optimization of aging." Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 108:5-56 (742533)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing, several studies suggest that cold-induced metabolic heat production tends to be lower in older adults. Still, the effect of ageing on metabolic heat production during cold exposure is controversial, and reports showing no difference exist. Whole Body 2870: Kenney and Munce (2003) "Invited review: aging and human temperature regulation." J. Appl. Physiol. 95(6):2598-2603 (14600165)|2884: Florez-Duquet and McDonald (1998) "Cold-induced thermoregulation and biological aging." Physiol. Rev. 78(2):339-358 (9562032)
Male and Female -1 -1 The color of the human lenses increases with age, probably as an effect of post-translationally modified proteins in older lenses. Lens 2750: Korlimbinis et al. (2007) "Protein-bound and free UV filters in cataract lenses. The concentration of UV filters is much lower than in normal lenses." Exp. Eye Res. 85(2):219-225 (17574241)|2839: Korlimbinis et al. (2007) "Protein-bound UV filters in normal human lenses: the concentration of bound UV filters equals that of free UV filters in the center of older lenses." Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 48(4):1718-1723 (17389504)
Male and Female -1 -1   T Cell 2872: Timiras, P. S. (1994) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Second Edition"
Male and Female -1 -1 Compliance of lung parenchyma (lung dV / transpulmonary dP; reciprocal of resistance) increases with age. Lung 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1   Endocrine System 2852: Kalimi (1984) "Glucocorticoid receptors: from development to aging. A review." Mech. Ageing Dev. 24(2):129-138 (6371395)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decreased motor-evoked potential in response to paired associative stimulation (rTMS, or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, of cortex and peripheral nerve stimulation) suggests an age-related decline in cortical plasticity. Brain 2863: Fathi et al. (2010) "Effects of aging on the human motor cortical plasticity studied by paired associative stimulation." Clin Neurophysiol 121(1):90-93 (19910248)
Male and Female -1 -1 Corticosterone secretion in response to ACTH is decreased with ageing. Adrenal Gland 2885: Hornsby et al. (1986) "Clonal variation in response to adrenocorticotropin in cultured bovine adrenocortical cells: relationship to senescence." J. Cell. Physiol. 129(3):395-402 (3023404)
Male and Female 27 80 Significant higher cortisol values at evening- and night-time as well as reduction in the amplitude occurred in old individuals and particular in demented ones, with a significant relationship between circadian mesor and age. Mean levels and nadir values of plasma cortisol were positively related to age and mini mental state examination score individuals (66-92 years, mean age 80.3 vs. 19-43 years, mean 26.8). Although cortisol levels tend to increase with age, hyporeactivity of stress system is associated with lower cortisol levels with age. Plasma 2781: Comijs et al. (2010) "The association between serum cortisol and cognitive decline in older persons." Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 18(1):42-50 (20094017)|2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female -1 -1 Katzung et al. claim a decline in creatinine clearance occurs in roughly two thirds of the population and note that creatinine serum levels do not necessarily change due to decreases in lean muscle mass. Creatinine clearance approximates renal function, so this is evidence of an age-associated decline in the functional capacity of the kidney. For drugs eliminated via the kidney, this decline in renal function can significantly increase drug half-life. Kidney 2699: Katzung et al. (2009) "Chapter 60. Special Aspects of Geriatric Pharmacology" in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (http://basic-clinical-pharmacology.net/chapter%2060_%20special%20aspects%20of%20geriatric%20pharmacology.htm)|2720: Tobin, J. D. (1981) "Physiological indices of aging" in Aging: A Challenge to Science and Society, vol. 1, Biology286-294
Male and Female -1 -1 A fine and coarse motor performance decline, evaluated by the times needed to complete motor trials of increasing difficulty, was observed in the elderly compared to young adults. Fine motor performance was better in the dominant hand regardless of age, while no significant difference was observed for coarse motor performance. No gender differences were observed. Nervous System 2659: Smith et al. (1999) "Critical decline in fine motor hand movements in human aging." Neurology 53(7):1458-1461 (10534251)
Male and Female -1 -1 Borrego et al. observed a decrease in the cytotoxicity and interferon gamma production of natural killer cells with age. An age-associated decrease in natural killer cells' cytotoxic and proliferative response to interleukin-2 was also observed by Solana et al. Natural Killer Cell 2694: Borrego et al. (1999) "NK phenotypic markers and IL2 response in NK cells from elderly people." Exp. Gerontol. 34(2):253-265 (10363791)|2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2939: Solana et al. (1999) "Natural killer cells in healthy aging." Exp. Gerontol. 34(3):435-443 (10433398)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing there is a decline in epidermis keratinocyte turnover. Epidermis 2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing there is a decline in ovarian estrogen production. Ovary 2979: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 190-191
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of respiratory muscle fibers declines with age. Fiber size of respiratory muscles also decreases with age. Respiratory System, Muscle 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing is accompanied by declining T-lymphocyte production in the thymus. Consequently, the number of naive T cells exiting the thymus is also decreased with age. Thymus 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2822: Fagnoni et al. (2000) "Shortage of circulating naive CD8(+) T cells provides new insights on immunodeficiency in aging." Blood 95(9):2860-2868 (10779432)|2954: Zediak et al. (2007) "Multiple prethymic defects underlie age-related loss of T progenitor competence." Blood 110(4):1161-1167 (17456721)
Male and Female -1 -1 Although conflicting studies exist, several cross-sectional studies report that with age there is a decrease in the ability to maintain body temperature when exposed to cold environments. This change is much less pronounced in older women (which are often able to maintain body temperatures as well as younger women), than in men. Whole Body 2665: Horvath and Rochelle (1977) "Hypothermia in the aged." Environ. Health Perspect. 20:127-130 (598344)|2686: Fox et al. (1973) "Body temperatures in the elderly: a national study of physiological, social, and environmental conditions." Br Med J 1(5847):200-206 (4686555)|2777: Collins et al. (1977) "Accidental hypothermia and impaired temperature homoeostasis in the elderly." Br Med J 1(6057):353-356 (837095)|2986: Wagner and Horvath (1985) "Influences of age and gender on human thermoregulatory responses to cold exposures." J. Appl. Physiol. 58(1):180-186 (3968009)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing there is a decreased ability to modulate heat loss. Integument System 2890: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 143
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing changes in relative amounts may be associated with wrinkles. Dermis 2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing there is a decreased/disorganized fibril network of dermis. Dermis 2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease epithelial barrier function with age is associated with increased pathogenic invasion of mucosal tissues. Lung, Oral Cavity, Pharynx, Oesophagus, Stomach, Intestine, Epidermis 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease in alveoli elasticity and recoil forces with age. Alveolus 2948: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 164
Male and Female -1 -1 With age there is a decrease in amplitude of peristaltic pressure wave in upper esophogeal sphincter. Oesophagus 2780: Shaker et al. (1993) "Effect of aging and bolus variables on pharyngeal and upper esophageal sphincter motor function." Am. J. Physiol. 264(3 Pt 1):G427-G432 (8460698)|2821: Bitar (2003) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: V. Aging and gastrointestinal smooth muscle: from signal transduction to contractile proteins." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 284(1):G1-G7 (12488230)
Male and Female -1 -1 The collagen level of the vena caval intima decreases on aging, by 42% in fifty years. This results in increased distensibility of the venous intima. Venous Intima 2971: Johnson et al. (1986) "Arterial intimal embrittlement. A possible factor in atherogenesis." Atherosclerosis 59(2):161-171 (3964342)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease in dermal papillae density (dermis extensions into epidermis) with age. Epidermis, Dermis 2723: Kaminer and Gilchrest (1995) "The many faces of acne." J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 32(5 Pt 3):S6-14 (7738229)|2881: Fossel, M. (2004) "Cells, Aging, and Human Disease. " in Cells, Aging, and Human Disease. |2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male -1 -1 Melatonin secretion increases significantly between approximately 2100h and 0900h. In the young, melatonin levels increase from 10-20pg/mL to 80-120pg/mL. In the elderly, this peak is dramatically flattened, reaching 60pg/mL in individuals 51-60 years of age and 30pg/mL in those 60 or over. By age 70, nighttime melatonin levels are similar to daytime levels. Plasma, Pineal Gland 2653: Karasek (2007) "Does melatonin play a role in aging processes?" J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 58 Suppl 6:105-113 (18212404)
Male and Female -1 -1 Proteomic comparison between primary-cultured neural progenitor cells from the young adult and aged mouse forebrain showed that there are changes in proteins necessary for cellular metabolism. The study showed that mitochondrial quantity and oxygen consumption rates decrease with age. A 45% decrease in JC1+ mitochondria/cell was observed in aged neural progenitor cells, compared with young adult neural progenitor cells. Brain 2795: Stoll et al. (2011) "Aging neural progenitor cells have decreased mitochondrial content and lower oxidative metabolism." J. Biol. Chem. 286(44):38592-38601 (21900249)
Male 17 90 Age and acinar atrophy were positively correlated in the parotid gland, with a linear decrease in acinar proportional volume of 30% between the ages of 17 and 90 years. Ductal irregularities were also observed with advancing age. Salivary Gland 2656: Scott et al. (1987) "A quantitative study of histological changes in the human parotid gland occurring with adult age." J. Oral Pathol. 16(10):505-510 (3127564)
Male and Female -1 -1 The level of 24-h integrated concentration of growth hormone (GH) is strongly effected by age. The integrated concentration of GH has the highest mean for children and it declines with increasing age after the second decade of life. Plasma 2876: Zadik et al. (1985) "The influence of age on the 24-hour integrated concentration of growth hormone in normal individuals." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 60(3):513-516 (3972964)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decreases in intevertebral spaces occur with age and affect lung dynamic compliance. Spine 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing, deficiencies in generating secondary peristaltic contractions are observed. Oropharynx, Oesophagus 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Age-related deficits in homeostatic equilibrium controlled by endocrine system, decreased capacity to adapt to temperature changes, infection, hypoxia, traumatic injury, exercise are observed. Endocrine System 2771: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 150
Male and Female -1 -1 Dopamine system function deteriorates with age, including the degeneration of dopamine neurons and receptors. Brain 2863: Fathi et al. (2010) "Effects of aging on the human motor cortical plasticity studied by paired associative stimulation." Clin Neurophysiol 121(1):90-93 (19910248)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 20 79 Demyelination and decreased myelin attenuation are the main changes in white matter during human brain aging. White Matter 2769: Wang et al. (2010) "Normal aging in the basal ganglia evaluated by eigenvalues of diffusion tensor imaging." AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 31(3):516-520 (19892817)
Male and Female -1 -1 There is an age-related regression in the dendritic arbors and the dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons located in the prefronatal, superior temporal and precentral cortices. The basal dendritic branching patterns of pyramidal cells in preferental cortex had a decrease in total dendritic length, total number of dendritic segments, and terminal dendritic length with age. Pyramidal cells from areas 10 and 18 of cortex exhibit a 9-11% decrease in total dendritic length and a 50% decrease in spine density. Brain 2749: Dickstein et al. (2007) "Changes in the structural complexity of the aged brain." Aging Cell 6(3):275-284 (17465981)|2813: de Brabander et al. (1998) "Layer-specific dendritic regression of pyramidal cells with ageing in the human prefrontal cortex." Eur. J. Neurosci. 10(4):1261-1269 (9749780)|2820: Scheibel et al. (1975) "Progressive dendritic changes in aging human cortex." Exp. Neurol. 47(3):392-403 (48474)|2888: Nakamura et al. (1985) "Age-related changes of pyramidal cell basal dendrites in layers III and V of human motor cortex: a quantitative Golgi study." Acta Neuropathol. 65(3-4):281-284 (3976364)|2915: Jacobs et al. (2001) "Regional dendritic and spine variation in human cerebral cortex: a quantitative golgi study." Cereb. Cortex 11(6):558-571 (11375917)|2952: Jacobs et al. (1997) "Life-span dendritic and spine changes in areas 10 and 18 of human cortex: a quantitative Golgi study." J. Comp. Neurol. 386(4):661-680 (9378859)
Male and Female -1 -1 Because human teeth are not naturally replaced in adults, increasing wear and tear is observed with age. Tooth 2691: Bartlett and Dugmore (2008) "Pathological or physiological erosion--is there a relationship to age?" Clin Oral Investig 12 Suppl 1:S27-S31 (18228061)
Male and Female -1 -1 A depletion of hair follicle melanocytes is associated with hair greying, and may explain hair whitening with age. Hair Follicle 2996: Commo et al. (2004) "Human hair greying is linked to a specific depletion of hair follicle melanocytes affecting both the bulb and the outer root sheath." Br. J. Dermatol. 150(3):435-443 (15030325)|2997: Tobin and Paus (2001) "Graying: gerontobiology of the hair follicle pigmentary unit." Exp. Gerontol. 36(1):29-54 (11162910)
Male and Female -1 -1 Mitochondria play an important role in cellular calcium dynamics, and mitochondrial depolarization impairs mitochondrial sequestering of calcium. Brain 2672: Toescu and Verkhratsky (2007) "The importance of being subtle: small changes in calcium homeostasis control cognitive decline in normal aging." Aging Cell 6(3):267-273 (17517038)
Male and Female -1 -1 Dermal collagen atrophies tend to occur with ageing. Dermis 2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female -1 -1   Endocrine System 2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1 Levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) decline with age. In individuals over 60 levels are about one-third than at age. Blood levels are undetectable at ~65 years of age. Plasma 2921: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" |2989: MIGEON et al. (1957) "Dehydroepiandrosterone and androsterone levels in human plasma: effect of age and sex; day-to-day and diurnal variations." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 17(9):1051-1062 (13463066)
Male and Female -1 -1   Adrenal Gland 2771: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 150
Male -1 -1 Chobanian et al. found that diastolic blood pressure tends to increase until about 50 years of age, then levels off for a decade and may remain constant or even decline later in life. There is also significant individual variability. Decreases in diastolic blood pressure are thought to result from decreases in elasticity of the arterial vasculature (particularly the aorta). Cardiovascular System 2658: Miall and Lovell (1967) "Relation between change of blood pressure and age." Br Med J 2(5553):660-664 (6024522)|2670: Chobanian et al. (2003) "Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure." Hypertension 42(6):1206-1252 (14656957)|2724: Shock, N. W. et al (1984) "Normal Human Aging: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. NIH Publ. no 84-2450" |2745: O'Rourke (2007) "Arterial aging: pathophysiological principles." Vasc Med 12(4):329-341 (18048471)
Male and Female 43 78 Increasing age is associated with echocardiographic indices of diastolic dysfunction, with higher mitral Doppler flow velocity A wave, lower mitral E/A wave ratio, longer mitral valve deceleration time and lower early diastolic peak velocity of the mitral septal annulus, e'. Diastolic dysfunction of aging was found to be independent of myocardial structure but was associated with plasma advanced glycation end-product levels. Cardiovascular System 2810: Campbell et al. (2012) "Diastolic dysfunction of aging is independent of myocardial structure but associated with plasma advanced glycation end-product levels." PLoS ONE 7(11):e49813 (23189164)
Male and Female -1 -1 The amount of dietary protein required to induce renal sclerotic lesions decreases with age. Renal Vasculature 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Superoxide production in response to Fc gamma receptor is diminished in the elderly. Neutrophil 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2967: Fülöp et al. (1985) "Age-dependent alterations of Fc gamma receptor-mediated effector functions of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes." Clin. Exp. Immunol. 61(2):425-432 (2994926)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age there is a diminishing of glandular secretions, regionally specific. Alimentary System 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female 20 90 With increasing age, a significant diminution in the resting cardiac output could be observed. Subjects for these experiments were carefully screened to exclude any individuals with clinical signs of heart disease. Although a part of the diminution in output can be ascribed to a slight reduction in heart rate with age, and a small proportion can be attributed to a reduction in body size, there remains a significant reduction in stroke index with increasing age. Heart 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female -1 -1 Putative functional changes include decreased activity: oxidative/respiratory burst (defensive superoxide production), phagocytic capacity, bactericidal activity (Weiskopf); systemic cell number and number of bone marrow precursor cells preserved; functional properties such as chemotaxis and adhesion activity apparently preserved (Weiskopf), but other reviews claim these results are inconsistent (Desai) Neutrophil 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1

With age there is an accumulation of DNA damage (assessed as an increase of endogenous γH2AX-foci levels with advancing donor age) and a reduction in the ability to repair DNA damage (assessed as the double strand break repair capacity as a response to ionizing irradiation) in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells 2992: Rübe et al. (2011) "Accumulation of DNA damage in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells during human aging." PLoS ONE 6(3):e17487 (21408175)
Male -1 -1 Several studies have found calcium clearance processes to be downregulated with age, leading to substantially prolonged calcium signalling in affected neurons. This downregulation is caused by reduced activity of plasma membrane calcium removal systems like membrane calcium pumping. One of several changes occurring in calcium homeostasis in aged neurons. Brain 2672: Toescu and Verkhratsky (2007) "The importance of being subtle: small changes in calcium homeostasis control cognitive decline in normal aging." Aging Cell 6(3):267-273 (17517038)
Male and Female -1 -1 D-xylose absorption decreases with age. Changes in renal function may confound these observations, however. Alimentary System 2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1 Lung dynamic compliance decreases with age. Dynamic compliance is measured during rhythmic breathing, varies with breathing rate; static compliance is measured via small incremental increases in pressure with time allowed for re-equilibration. Lung 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1   Lung 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) is more common in older individuals. Oropharynx, Oesophagus 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, the minimum body temperature in the circadian cycle occurs earlier in the day. Whole Body 2685: Baehr et al. (2000) "Individual differences in the phase and amplitude of the human circadian temperature rhythm: with an emphasis on morningness-eveningness." J Sleep Res 9(2):117-127 (10849238)
Male and Female -1 -1 Auditory test: auditory oddball task, which evaluates attention. Decrease in both evoked and whole power with age. Along with increased task-related electroencephalography (EEG) synchrony with age and decreased task-related EEG power during auditory attention test, Mueller et al. interpret this as reflecting a significant shift in perceptual representation of auditory events. Brain 2734: Mueller et al. (2008) "Electrophysiological correlates of selective attention: a lifespan comparison." BMC Neurosci 9:18 (18237433)|2815: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 92
Male and Female -1 -1 Elastic and smooth muscle layers of the intima increase in size with age. The size increase is up to ~40% in the aorta, and there is heterogeneity in which layer regions increase in size in different parts of arterial tree. Arterial Intima 2745: O'Rourke (2007) "Arterial aging: pathophysiological principles." Vasc Med 12(4):329-341 (18048471)|2960: (1987) "Atherogenesis and Aging"
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of elastic fibers in the lungs decreases with age. Lung 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Endothelial cells of the intimal layer become more irregular in size and shape with age. The elastic and smooth-muscle layers of the intimal increase dramatically with age. In the thoracic aorta, this thickening is due to an increase in the elastic layer, while in the abdominal aorta it is due to the proliferation of smooth muscle. The thickening in the elastic layer of the bood vessels results from mainly from fragmentation, redistribution, and thinning of the elastic fibers, which is accompanied by an elastin. Artery 2770: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 157
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing elastin fibers are lost from upper layers of dermis and elastin fibers are interrupted and degenerate. Dermis 2674: Kligman et al. (1985) "The anatomy and pathogenesis of wrinkles." Br. J. Dermatol. 113(1):37-42 (4015970)|2757: Robert et al. (1988) "Ageing of the skin: study of elastic fiber network modifications by computerized image analysis." Gerontology 34(5-6):291-296 (2464530)|2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female -1 -1 Endocrine glands generally lose weight with age. Endocrine System 2808: Finch, C. E. (1985) "Handbook of the Biology of Aging (Handbooks of Aging, Vol 1)"
Male and Female -1 -1 The endothelial cells of intimal layer are more irregular in size and shape with age. Arterial Intima 2770: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 157
Male -1 -1 Neurons appear to be lost from the enteric nervous system with age in an organ-dependent manner. Alimentary System 2671: Wade (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract. I. Age-related changes in the enteric nervous system." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(3):G489-G495 (12181159)
Male and Female -1 -1 Epidermis held less tightly to dermis with age, which is associated with the looser feeling of ageing skin. Epidermis 2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female 5 75 E-rosette-forming cells continuously decrease with age and were progressively replaced by an increasing proportion of 'null' lymphooid cells. Thymus 2965: Singh and Singh (1979) "Age-related changes in human thymus." Clin. Exp. Immunol. 37(3):507-511 (509782)
Male and Female -1 -1 Esophageal acid contact time increased with age. Oesophagus 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Pancreatic function has not been widely studied in context of human ageing, but one study found no evidence of significant age-related changes in exocrine pancreatic function. Pancreas 2999: Gullo et al. (1986) "Aging and exocrine pancreatic function." J Am Geriatr Soc 34(11):790-792 (3771978)
Male and Female -1 -1 Expansion into effector cells is reduced with age. Naïve T Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2806: Kohler et al. (2005) "Post-thymic in vivo proliferation of naive CD4+ T cells constrains the TCR repertoire in healthy human adults." Eur. J. Immunol. 35(6):1987-1994 (15909312)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, the eye lenses become much stiffer. It is estimated that during the lifetime, stiffness of the nucleus increases almost one thousand fold. Lens 2759: Weeber et al. (2005) "Dynamic mechanical properties of human lenses." Exp. Eye Res. 80(3):425-434 (15721624)|2990: Heys et al. (2004) "Massive increase in the stiffness of the human lens nucleus with age: the basis for presbyopia?" Mol. Vis. 10:956-963 (15616482)
Male and Female -1 -1 Rodeheffer et al. note that with exercise ST segment shifts in electrocardiograms, a decline in ejection fraction, and wall abnormalities are observed in older age groups. Heart 2925: Rodeheffer et al. (1984) "Exercise cardiac output is maintained with advancing age in healthy human subjects: cardiac dilatation and increased stroke volume compensate for a diminished heart rate." Circulation 69(2):203-213 (6690093)
Male -1 -1 Thymic involution leads to significant reduction in the number of circulating T cells in elderly individuals. Fagnoni et al. assessed T cell count in 120 healthy individuals (age range 18-105 years) and found almost complete depletion of CD8+ T cells in the oldest subjects. T Cell 2822: Fagnoni et al. (2000) "Shortage of circulating naive CD8(+) T cells provides new insights on immunodeficiency in aging." Blood 95(9):2860-2868 (10779432)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Colony forming unit-fibroblast assay yielded fewer cells with bone-marrow samples from older donors. Ogawa et al. also found low cellularity in individuals over 80 years of age and higher apoptosis. Bone Marrow 2862: Stolzing et al. (2008) "Age-related changes in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells: consequences for cell therapies." Mech. Ageing Dev. 129(3):163-173 (18241911)|2963: Ogawa et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of human bone marrow: a histometric estimation of proliferative cells, apoptotic cells, T cells, B cells and macrophages." Mech. Ageing Dev. 117(1-3):57-68 (10958923)
Male -1 -1 The types of fibril present in the cartilage matrix are altered with ageing. Cartilage 2764: Tonna, E. A. (1977) "Aging of skeletal-dental systems and supporting tissues" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging470-495
Male and Female -1 -1 Lung forced expiratory volume, usually defined as amount of air that can be forcibly expelled in 1 second after full inspiration, decreases with age. Lung 2641: Klocke, R. A. (1977) "Influence of aging on the lung" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging432-444
Male and Female -1 -1 Lung vital capacity, defined as the volume of air forcibly expelled after maximum inspiration, decreases with age. Lung 2665: Horvath and Rochelle (1977) "Hypothermia in the aged." Environ. Health Perspect. 20:127-130 (598344)|2829: Kannel, W. B. and H. Hubert. (1982) "Vital capacity as a biomarker of aging" in Biological Markers of Aging, NIH Publ. no. 82-2221145-160
Male and Female -1 -1 Fractures are cleaner with ageing, making healing less likely. Bone 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male 19 89 Next generation sequencing of mtDNA from putamen of young and aged Caucasian Male donors showed that the frequencies of the common deletion, m.8483_13459del4977, as well as clonal and non-clonal deletions in the major arc between the mtDNA origins of replication, are significantly increased in the aged cohort (the fold increase in the frequency of the common deletion exceeding that of major arc deletions). Additionally, single nucleotide variants also increase with age with the highest rate of accumulation in the non-coding control region. Brain 3461: Williams, SL et al. (2013) "Somatic mtDNA mutation spectra in the aging human putamen." PLoS Genet. 9(12):e1003990 (24339796)
Male and Female 1 99 Using a highly sensitive Duplex Sequencing methodology, the sequencing of mtDNA purified from human brain tissue from both young (<1 year) and old (75-99 years old) individuals showed that the frequency of point mutations increases aproximately 5-fold with age. The mutation spectra for both the young and old samples reveals that the predominant mutations are transition mutations, consistent with either misincorporation by DNA polymerase gamma or deamination of cytosine to form uracil. The relative abundance of each mutation type is the same in young and old. In contrast, G->T mutations (a signature of oxidative damage to DNA), do not significantly increase with age. Brain 3460: Kennedy, SR et al. (2013) "Ultra-sensitive sequencing reveals an age-related increase in somatic mitochondrial mutations that are inconsistent with oxidative damage." PLoS Genet. 9(9):e1003794 (24086148)
Male and Female -1 -1 Age-associated macrophage changes include decreased oxidative burst activity and decreased phagocytic capacity; decreased response to interferon gamma stimulation; and decrease in the number of macrophages and macrophage precursors in the bone marrow. Macrophage 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 An age-related functional decline has been observed in mouse dendritic cell in their capacity to stimulate T cells lymph node homing. Monocyte derived dendritic cells also exhibit impaired migration, decreased antigen uptake and reduced phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Dendritic Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Gait width increased with age, defined as the distance between the left and right hind paws), and measured via walking track analysis. Nervous System 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 Gastric lipase and bile acid secretion decreases with age. Stomach, Small Intestine 2955: Holt and Balint (1993) "Effects of aging on intestinal lipid absorption." Am. J. Physiol. 264(1 Pt 1):G1-G6 (8430793)|2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 60 Gastric secretions diminish by ~25% by 60 years of age. Alimentary System 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 As neurons undergo the process of ageing structural changes occur which would likely affect its synaptic transmissions. In vivo visual corticol neurons of an athestized older-aged monkey there is a increase in action potential (AP) firing rates which is linked to stimulus selectivity degradation. Data has also suggested that there is a rise in AP firing rates in 2/3 layers prefrontal cortical pyrimdal cells in older-aged in comparison those in younger monkeys.    
Male and Female -1 -1 Glands tend to change in appearance with age and often develop a patchy atrophic appearance accompanied by vascular changes and fibrosis. Endocrine System 2808: Finch, C. E. (1985) "Handbook of the Biology of Aging (Handbooks of Aging, Vol 1)"
Male and Female 19 93 Pelvig et al. studied neocortical glial cell numbers and found that oligodendrocytes decrease 27% over adult life and correlate with total number of neurons while total astrocyte number remained constant.    
Male and Female -1 -1 There is some controversy regarding neuron loss with age with some studies finding that the number of neurons does not appear to significantly decrease with age. Pakkenberg et al. found that the difference in total neuron number over the age range of 20 to 90 years is less than 10%. Cerebral Cortex 2649: Haug and Eggers (1991) "Morphometry of the human cortex cerebri and corpus striatum during aging." Neurobiol. Aging 12(4):336-8; discussion 352 (1961364)|2697: Pakkenberg et al. (2003) "Aging and the human neocortex." Exp. Gerontol. 38(1-2):95-99 (12543266)|2892: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 171|2936: Pakkenberg and Gundersen (1997) "Neocortical neuron number in humans: effect of sex and age." J. Comp. Neurol. 384(2):312-320 (9215725)
Male and Female 40 -1 Glomerular filtration rate declines with age, from steady ~120 mL/min at 40 to ~60-70 mL/min at age 85. Rate of reduction increases non-linearly after approximately 60 to 70 years of age. Glomerulus 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Glomeruli crowd together with age. Glomerulus 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Significant variation between individuals noted in decline of number of glomeruli with age. Glomerulus 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female 18 93 Analysis of the glycosylation of immunoglobulin G molecules in 5,117 individuals from four European populations, showed that changes in glycan patterns occur with ageing. Strongest association with age was observed for galactosylation: nongalactosylated glycans (A2 and FA2) steadily increased with age, digalactosylated glycans (A2G2, FA2G2, A2BG2, and FA2BG2) decreased with age and monogalactosylated structures (A2G1 FA2G1, A2BG1, and FA2BG1), displayed both increasing and decreasing depending on the position of galactose and the presence of the bisecting GlcNAc. Changes were more dynamic in women, with the most pronounced age associations for women between the ages of 45 and 55 when menopause begins. All other elements of IgG glycosylation (fucosylation, sialylation, and bisecting GlcNAc) also displayed patterns associated with age. In a subsequent longitudinal study, the levels of selected glycans showed similar age-related changes for the same individuals to those observed at the population level. Blood

3458: Krištić, J et al. (2014) "Glycans are a novel biomarker of chronological and biological ages." J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 69(7):779-789 (24325898)

Male and Female -1 -1   Anatomical System 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 Gray matter total volume decreases with age. Greater loss occurs in specific regions such as the prefrontal cortex. Grey Matter 2769: Wang et al. (2010) "Normal aging in the basal ganglia evaluated by eigenvalues of diffusion tensor imaging." AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 31(3):516-520 (19892817)
Male and Female -1 -1 Muscle/grip strength decreases as assessed by the wire test "body suspension test". Skeletal Muscle 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 Grip strength decreases with age as assessed using an electronic dynamometer. Musculoskeletal System 2793: Fernadez-Ballesteros Rocio et al (2004) "Assessing Competence: The European Survey on Aging Protocol (ESAP)" Gerontology 50:330-347
Male and Female -1 -1 Hair graying is one of the major hallmarks of ageing with all humans having at least some gray hair by age 60. Hair 2890: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 143
Male and Female -1 -1 The following were observed to be unchanged with age in individuals screened for occult coronary artery disease: heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), stroke-volume output, cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), peripheral vascular resistance. Heart 2724: Shock, N. W. et al (1984) "Normal Human Aging: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. NIH Publ. no 84-2450"
Male and Female -1 -1 In individuals not screened for coronary artery disease, the following were observed to be altered with age: decreases in heart rate (slight), stroke volume and stroke volume output, cardiac output, cardiac index; increase in peripheral vascular resistance has also been observed with age. Heart 2901: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 158
Male and Female -1 -1 Clonally derived self-renewing hematopoietic cells from normal individuals accumulate random background mutations as a function of age. Hematopoietic Stem Cells 2935: Welch et al. (2012) "The origin and evolution of mutations in acute myeloid leukemia." Cell 150(2):264-278 (22817890)
Male and Female 27 80 Old individuals exhibit higher adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels throughout the whole 24h cycle (66-92 years, mean age 80.3 vs. 19-43 years, mean 26.8). Plasma 2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female -1 -1 Transient increase in skin temperature, pulse, and blood flow; associated with pulsatile release of luteinizing hormone and other hormonal changes typical of menopause. Whole Body 2913: Rebar and Spitzer (1987) "The physiology and measurement of hot flushes." Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 156(5):1284-1288 (3578449)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 26 87 Blood interleukin 8 (IL8) level was significant higher in thirty-seven elderly subjects (median age, 87, range 70-95 years; minimum: 13.8 pg\\mL, median: 25.6 pg\\mL, maximum: 81.2 pg\\mL) than in 22 young subjects (median age, 26, range 21-37 years; minimum: 8.6 pg\\mL, median: 18.3 pg\\mL, maximum: 70.7 pg\\mL). Plasma 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 Immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) decreases in cytomegalovirus (CMV) positive, but not in CMV negative individuals. The number of EBV-specific cells increases with age only in CMV negative individuals, which may suggest that CMV infection compromises the ability of the ageing immune system to combat new infections. This decreased immune response to new infections evidenced in the elderly is associated with the expansion of T cells specific to previous infections. Immune System 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Incidence of anergia (failure to respond to antigens) increases with age. Immune System 2808: Finch, C. E. (1985) "Handbook of the Biology of Aging (Handbooks of Aging, Vol 1)"
Male and Female -1 -1 Subset populations of T cells undergo age-associated increases in apotosis, and this is associated with up-regulation of Fas/Fas-ligand expression. T Cell 2650: Phelouzat et al. (1997) "Susceptibility to apoptosis of T lymphocytes from elderly humans is associated with increased in vivo expression of functional Fas receptors." Mech. Ageing Dev. 96(1-3):35-46 (9223109)|2705: Herndon et al. (1997) "Increased apoptosis of CD45RO- T cells with aging." Mech. Ageing Dev. 94(1-3):123-134 (9147365)
Male and Female -1 -1 In memory interference tests, increased bilateral anterior frontal activity and diminished normal response to divided attention test were observed with age. A normal response is characterized by increased activation in left inferior prefrontal cortex and decreased activation in right hippocampal activity. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1 \\increased responsiveness…in…organs and tissues regulating blood pressure.\\\\"" Cardiovascular System, Endocrine System 2893: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 145
Male and Female -1 -1 In tests for verbal familiarity, increased rhinal cortex activity and functional connectivity within rhinal-frontal network were observed with age. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1   Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1 In tests of working memory such as spatial and non-spatial auditory one-back tests, increased sustained activity with age was observed in left inferior prefrontal cortex, left parietal lobe, and both occipital lobes. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1 In tests of working memory such as non-spatial auditory one-back tests, increased sustained activity with age was observed parietal and subcortical regions. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1 An increase in adverse effects on salivary gland by anticholinergics is observed with age. This may be due to a decrease in the salivary gland secretory reserve capacity. Salivary Gland 2988: Ghezzi and Ship (2003) "Aging and secretory reserve capacity of major salivary glands." J. Dent. Res. 82(10):844-848 (14514768)
Male and Female -1 -1 In hypopharyngeal sphincter (i.e. the laryngopharyngeal sphincter), increase in amplitude and duration of peristaltic pressure wave is observed with age. Hypopharynx 2821: Bitar (2003) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: V. Aging and gastrointestinal smooth muscle: from signal transduction to contractile proteins." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 284(1):G1-G7 (12488230)
Male and Female -1 -1 Increase in cells that are both CD8+ and CD28-null with age. According to Sharma et al., this is associated with inhibition of antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses and a decline in the adaptive immune response. T Regulatory Cell 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 The collagen content of apparently lesion-free human arterial intima shows an average increase of over 100% on aging over a fifty-year period. There is an increase of 113% for aortic intima, 49% increase for coronary artery intima, and an increase of 158% in collagen in basilar artery intima. This is accompanied by a large increase in intimal embrittlement. Arterial Intima 2971: Johnson et al. (1986) "Arterial intimal embrittlement. A possible factor in atherogenesis." Atherosclerosis 59(2):161-171 (3964342)
Male and Female -1 -1   Plasma 2979: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 190-191
Male and Female -1 -1 Elderly individuals can exhibit deficits in the intestinal mucosal immune responses. The mechanisms are unclear but Arranz et al. found higher immunoglobulin A (IgA) plasma cell counts and lower intraepithelial lymphocyte counts in jejunal biopsy specimens in elderly subjects compared to younger controls. Intestine 2709: Schmucker et al. (2001) "Aging impairs intestinal immunity." Mech. Ageing Dev. 122(13):1397-1411 (11470129)|2817: Arranz et al. (1992) "Immunosenescence and mucosal immunity: significant effects of old age on secretory IgA concentrations and intraepithelial lymphocyte counts." Gut 33(7):882-886 (1644326)|2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1 Diverticulosis refers to outpocketing of the colonic mucosa due to weaknesses of the muscle wall and is more common in older individuals, in particular after age 40. It can cause mild symptoms but also lead to serious complications. Large Intestine 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1   Endocrine System 2802: Bremner et al. (1983) "Loss of circadian rhythmicity in blood testosterone levels with aging in normal men." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 56(6):1278-1281 (6841562)
Male and Female -1 -1 Increase in total number of natural killer cells with ageing, which may be compensatory response to activity/function deficits. Natural Killer Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Infiltration at injury site is reduced with ageing. Neutrophil 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female 25 72 The average 24 h inhibin level in elderly men were decreased. Plasma 2692: Tenover and Bremner (1991) "Circadian rhythm of serum immunoreactive inhibin in young and elderly men." J Gerontol 46(5):M181-M184 (1909728)
Male and Female -1 -1 Interleukin-15 (IL-15) levels decrease in plasma and muscle. Plasma and muscle tissue IL-15 levels decreased with age. mRNA expression levels of the soluble IL-15-alpha receptor also decreased with age. In muscle tissue the mRNA levels of the IL-15 receptor did however not change with age (mIL-15R-alpha, IL-2R-beta, and IL-2R-gamma). Plasma, Muscle 2688: Quinn et al. (2010) "Serum and muscle interleukin-15 levels decrease in aging mice: correlation with declines in soluble interleukin-15 receptor alpha expression." Exp. Gerontol. 45(2):106-112 (19854259)
Male and Female -1 -1 Interleukin-2 production in response to influenza vaccine declines in the elderly. T Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2980: McElhaney et al. (1990) "Age-related decline in interleukin 2 production in response to influenza vaccine." J Am Geriatr Soc 38(6):652-658 (2358627)
Male and Female -1 -1 Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plasma levels are elevated in response to acute systemic inflammation. Acute systemic inflammation induced by injection of lipopolysaccharide endotoxic (LPS) resulted in higher systemic IL-6 levels in older vs. younger mice. Plasma levels increased from 200 to 1200 ng/mL in young vs. old mice and mRNA levels increased 5-fold via Northern blot analysis. Age-associated increases in IL-6 expression were observed in the lungs, heart, kidneys, spleen, and fat, with epididymal adipose tissue exhibiting the greatest IL-6 production. Body temperature of the older mice was also significantly decreased compared to the younger mice 6 hours after administration of LPS, and it seems unclear how much of a contributing factor the decreased fat pad weight in the older mice was to this hypothermia. Immune System 2927: Starr et al. (2009) "Age-associated increase in cytokine production during systemic inflammation: adipose tissue as a major source of IL-6." J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 64(7):723-730 (19377014)
Male and Female -1 -1 Interleukin-7 production declines with age. Stromal Cell 2704: Tsuboi et al. (2004) "Senescent B lymphopoiesis is balanced in suppressive homeostasis: decrease in interleukin-7 and transforming growth factor-beta levels in stromal cells of senescence-accelerated mice." Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood) 229(6):494-502 (15169968)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Interstitial fibrosis in medulla is particularly observed after the seventh decade of life. Kidney 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Certain localized increases in the intima, especially at branch points in the vessel, are found in normal coronary arteries. Arterial Intima 2960: (1987) "Atherogenesis and Aging"
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease in resiliency of cartilage resulting from reduced chondroitin hydration is associated with a decrease in joint cushioning. Joint 2859: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles"
Female -1 -1 With age, there is an upregulation of the K-ATP channels in the human myometrium. In the non-pregnant myometrium, ageing causes an upregulation of SUR2B/Kir6.1, subunits forming K ATP channels in this tissue, without affecting the expression of other channel subunits. In the late pregnant myometrium, the level of subunits that do not form functional K ATP channels was not affected by age within the 20–41 age range, in contrast to an uterine upregulation of SUR2B and Kir6.1 in parturient over 35 years. The increase was confirmed by Western blotting. Myometrium 2854: Du et al. (2013) "KATP channels are up-regulated with increasing age in human myometrium." Mech. Ageing Dev. 134(3-4):98-9102 (23369859)
Male and Female -1 -1 About 1/5 of kidney weight is lost between ages 30-80 (McLachlan, 1978). Mass is lost mainly from the cortex vs. the medulla. Kidney 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)|2846: Samiy (1983) "Renal disease in the elderly." Med. Clin. North Am. 67(2):463-480 (6338324)|2944: McLachlan and Wasserman (1981) "Changes in sizes and distensibility of the aging kidney." Br J Radiol 54(642):488-491 (7237026)
Male and Female -1 -1 Severe spinal curvature (kyphosis) is more common in ageing mice. Spine 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 Lysosome associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP-2A) levels decrease. This is a lysosomal receptor for chaperone-mediated autophagy substrates. Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 49 90 A significant regression of the layer V dendritic pattern of the prefrontal cortex of humans was observed with increasing age. In contrast, the layer IIIc neurons did not show any age-related changes. Prefrontal Cortex 2813: de Brabander et al. (1998) "Layer-specific dendritic regression of pyramidal cells with ageing in the human prefrontal cortex." Eur. J. Neurosci. 10(4):1261-1269 (9749780)
Male and Female -1 -1 Adult lean body mass decreases with age. Whole Body 2873: Forbes and Reina (1970) "Adult lean body mass declines with age: some longitudinal observations." Metab. Clin. Exp. 19(9):653-663 (5459997)
Male and Female -1 -1 Quantity of antibodies generated in response to antigen exposure is reduced with age. B Cell 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Leukoaraiosis refers to the rarefaction (reduction in density) of white matter with age. White Matter 2725: Henry Feugeas et al. (2005) "Age-related cerebral white matter changes and pulse-wave encephalopathy: observations with three-dimensional MRI." Magn Reson Imaging 23(9):929-937 (16310108)
Male and Female -1 -1 Lipid absorption and solubilization decreases with age. Small Intestine 2955: Holt and Balint (1993) "Effects of aging on intestinal lipid absorption." Am. J. Physiol. 264(1 Pt 1):G1-G6 (8430793)|2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1 Possibly due to an increased variation in the structure of lipid substrates, lipid biosynthesis decreases with age. Central Nervous System 2921: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition"
Male and Female -1 -1 Cardiac lipofuscin increases with age. Heart 2901: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 158
Male and Female -1 -1 In normal ageing processes neurons undergo structural rearrangements. One of these structural rearrangements is a decrease in spine numbers which are the major sites of excitatory synapses which may alter synaptic densities. Studies show that there is an overall decrease in the frequency of spontaneous glutamate receptor-mediated excitatory responses with there also being a reduction in the expression levels of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Ageing also causes significant increases in γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor-mediated inhibitory responses and action potential firing rates. Brain 2749: Dickstein et al. (2007) "Changes in the structural complexity of the aged brain." Aging Cell 6(3):275-284 (17465981)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ageing results in a decreased static elastic recoil of the lung. Lung 2920: Janssens et al. (1999) "Physiological changes in respiratory function associated with ageing." Eur. Respir. J. 13(1):197-205 (10836348)
Male and Female 70 80 In a 5-year longitudinal study, people with ages between 70 and 80 years, exhibited a loss of leg muscle torque of about 16% for men and 13% for women. Weight gain did not prevent the loss of muscle torque. The loss was greater than the loss in quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area, suggesting also a decrease in muscle quality. Skeletal Muscle 2729: Delmonico et al. (2009) "Longitudinal study of muscle strength, quality, and adipose tissue infiltration." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 90(6):1579-1585 (19864405)
Male and Female -1 -1 The respiratory muscles undergo modifications with aging, including a loss of peripheral motor neurons. Respiratory System, Muscle 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing there is a loss of the smooth padding provided by hypodermal fat cells. Skin 2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female 5 165 With increasing age the subcutaneous adipose layer becomes thinner (5-12 weeks vs. 123-165 weeks) and this loss is associated with increased risk of skin injuries and infections. Skin 2060: Tomás-Loba et al. (2008) "Telomerase reverse transcriptase delays aging in cancer-resistant mice." Cell 135(4):609-622 (19013273)
Male -1 -1   Blood Brain Barrier 2864: Zeevi et al. (2010) "The blood-brain barrier: geriatric relevance of a critical brain-body interface." J Am Geriatr Soc 58(9):1749-1757 (20863334)
Male and Female -1 -1 Lower affinity antibodies are generated with ageing. B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male -1 -1   Intestine 2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female -1 -1 lysosome \\stability\\\ decreases\"" Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female -1 -1 The volume of lysosome increase commonly in tissues form senescent organisms. Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)|2907: Cuervo and Dice (2000) "When lysosomes get old." Exp. Gerontol. 35(2):119-131 (10767573)|2908: Hochschild (1971) "Lysosomes, membranes and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 6(2):153-166 (4937119)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male 18 85 The incidence of cosmetically significant baldness in men increases significantly with age. Hair 3000: Norwood (1975) "Male pattern baldness: classification and incidence." South. Med. J. 68(11):1359-1365 (1188424)
Male and Female -1 -1 Although the issue is controversial due to several confounding factors, there is evidence for a decline in Male fertility with age. Male Reproductive System 2998: Hassan and Killick (2003) "Effect of Male age on fertility: evidence for the decline in Male fertility with increasing age." Fertil. Steril. 79 Suppl 3:1520-1527 (12801554)|3002: Kidd et al. (2001) "Effects of Male age on semen quality and fertility: a review of the literature." Fertil. Steril. 75(2):237-248 (11172821)|3003: Paulson et al. (2001) "The lack of influence of age on Male fertility." Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 184(5):818-22; discussion 822 (11303188)
Male and Female -1 -1 Maximal inspiratory pressure decreases with age. Lung 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 The maximum volume of air in lungs decreases with age. Lung 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 In subjects screened for occult coronary artery disease, no significant changes in cardiac output were observed with age. Stroke volume increased during exercise via increased end-diastolic volume with end-diastolic volume in turn increasing with age. Heart 2925: Rodeheffer et al. (1984) "Exercise cardiac output is maintained with advancing age in healthy human subjects: cardiac dilatation and increased stroke volume compensate for a diminished heart rate." Circulation 69(2):203-213 (6690093)
Male and Female -1 -1 An increase with age in mean blood glucose levels has been observed in subjects from the Framingham Heart Study (Yashin et al.), where blood glucose measurements were not systematically fasting or non-fasting, i.e. randomly mixed. Ogawa et al. found similar results in a smaller study of elderly subjects. Plasma 2763: Yashin et al. (2009) "Maintaining physiological state for exceptional survival: What is the normal level of blood glucose and does it change with age?" Mech. Ageing Dev. 130(9):611-618 (19635493)|2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 Mean diffusivity increases and water diffusion anisotropy decreases in anterior corpus collosum (genu) and in deep prefrontal white matter. Corpus Callosum, White Matter 2769: Wang et al. (2010) "Normal aging in the basal ganglia evaluated by eigenvalues of diffusion tensor imaging." AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 31(3):516-520 (19892817)
Male -1 -1 Old individuals had no activation in the medial temporal cortex during encoding (Grady et al., 1995, measured by cerebral blood flow), although the difference between groups was not significant because of large variation within the old group. Cabeza et al. found that the hippocampal formation of the median temporal lobe showed reduced activation (measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI) in working memory, visual attention and episodic retrieval tasks in the elderly. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)|2889: Grady et al. (1995) "Age-related reductions in human recognition memory due to impaired encoding." Science 269(5221):218-221 (7618082)|2969: Cabeza et al. (2004) "Task-independent and task-specific age effects on brain activity during working memory, visual attention and episodic retrieval." Cereb. Cortex 14(4):364-375 (15028641)
Male -1 -1 For the first few years after menarche the menses tends to be irregular. Thereafter and throughout the middle reproductive years, cycles are regular, although they become progressively shorter with advancing age primarily owing to a shortening of follicular phase. In the 2-8 year period preceding the menopause, cycles again become highly variable, ranging from very short to very long. Fertility begins to decline many years prior to onset of irregular menses, being maximum in mid- to late twenties and decreasing steadily until menopause. Age-associated alterations in ovary, neuroendocrine system and uterus may all influence changing pattern of menses as well as declining fertility. The follicle number declines with age. Female Reproductive System, Endocrine System 2657: Richardson and Nelson (1990) "Follicular depletion during the menopausal transition." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 592:13-20; discussion 44 (2197939)|2979: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 190-191
Male and Female -1 -1 A number of metabolic syndrome components are associated with greater age-associated increases in brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity. Brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity is a measurement of arterial stiffness. Artery 2677: Li et al. (2005) "Influence of metabolic syndrome on arterial stiffness and its age-related change in young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study." Atherosclerosis 180(2):349-354 (15910862)
Male and Female -1 -1 There is a greater frequency of microsatellite instability in hematopoietic stem cells and colony-forming cell-derived clones from old human donors (aged > 45 years), when compared with younger individuals (aged < 45 years). This is also associated with the loss of MutL homologue 1 (MLH1) protein expression, one of the genes belonging to the mismatch repair pathway (responsible for replication fidelity). Hematopoietic Stem Cells 2975: Kenyon et al. (2012) "Humans accumulate microsatellite instability with acquired loss of MLH1 protein in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells as a function of age." Blood 120(16):3229-3236 (22740444)
Male and Female -1 -1 Changes to arterioles, capillaries, and venules in dermis/hypodermis are observed with age and these become very sparse and irregularly formed. Dermis, Subcutaneous 2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female -1 -1 The migrating motor complex (MMC) is an electrochemical wave evident between meals that is thought to help remove residual food particles. With age this is prolonged. Small Intestine 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Mineralization of bone tissue increases with age. Bone 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female 40 70 Study of 961 chinese subjects (424 longevity subjects and 537 younger controls) showed that the mtDNA content for individuals aged 40-70 years old decreases with age. Additionally, no reduction of mtDNA content is observed in nonagenarians and centenarians. Instead, nonagenarians and centenarians show a significant increase in mtDNA content compared to elderly people aged between 50 and 70 years. Blood 3462: He, YH et al. (2014) "Mitochondrial DNA content contributes to healthy aging in Chinese: a study from nonagenarians and centenarians." Neurobiol. Aging 35(7):1779.e1-1779.e4 (24524965)
Male and Female 20 80 The morning concentrations of oestrone declines in healthy, nonobese Males between 20 and 80 years by 29% in mean. Plasma 2875: Leifke et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy Male cohort." Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf) 53(6):689-695 (11155090)
Male and Female 40 80 The morning concentration of sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) declines after 5th decade of life in healthy, nonobese Males. Plasma 2875: Leifke et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy Male cohort." Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf) 53(6):689-695 (11155090)
Male 20 80 The morning concentrations of oestradiol and bioavailable oestradiol decline in healthy, nonobese Males between 20 and 80 years by 32% and 62% in mean, respectively. Plasma 2875: Leifke et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy Male cohort." Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf) 53(6):689-695 (11155090)
Male 20 80 The morning concentrations of total, free and bioavailable testosterone decline in healthy, nonobese Males between 20 and 80 years by 64%, 78% and 32% in mean, respectively (Leifke et al.). Liu et al. found similar results in two cohorts of Australian Males as measured longitudinally. A loss of testosterone circadian rhythms with aging has also been reported by Bremner et al. Plasma 2802: Bremner et al. (1983) "Loss of circadian rhythmicity in blood testosterone levels with aging in normal men." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 56(6):1278-1281 (6841562)|2875: Leifke et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy Male cohort." Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf) 53(6):689-695 (11155090)|2970: Liu et al. (2007) "Age-related changes in serum testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin in Australian men: longitudinal analyses of two geographically separate regional cohorts." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 92(9):3599-3603 (17595245)
Male 20 80 The morning concentration of IGF1 (Insulin-like-growth factor 1) declines in healthy, nonobese Males between 20 and 80 years by 51% in mean. Plasma 2875: Leifke et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy Male cohort." Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf) 53(6):689-695 (11155090)
Male and Female 45 79 In an analysis of clonal mosaic abnormalities based on 13 genome-wide association studies, the frequency of cancer-free individuals with detectable clonal mosaic events increased with age from 0.23% for those under 50 to 1.91% (P = 4.8 × 10−8) for those between the ages of 75 and 79, with slightly higher frequencies occurring in individuals with cancer.    
Male and Female -1 -1 Motor function impairment evident in altered gait and balance with age. Nervous System 2716: Baloh et al. (1995) "Posturography and balance problems in older people." J Am Geriatr Soc 43(6):638-644 (7775722)
Male and Female -1 -1 The mouth tends to become drier with age due to a lower saliva volume. Salivary Gland 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Sarcopenia, atrophy of skeletal muscle tissue and decline of muscle mass. Thought to be due to decrease in number and size of fibers. Deteriorated fibrils are replaced by connective tissue and eventually by fat. Skeletal Muscle 2654: Inokuchi et al. (1975) "Age-related changes in the histological composition of the rectus abdominis muscle of the adult human." Hum. Biol. 47(2):231-249 (124301)|2904: McCarter, R. (1978) "Effects of age on contraction of mammalian skeletal muscle" in Aging in Muscle1-21
Male and Female 22 93 Study of young (22-30 years old; mean 25) and old (70-93 years old; mean 78) healthy sedentary individuals showed that quadriceps muscle volume reduces by 29% with aging, while cross sectional area follows the same trend and is reduced by 23%. Peak isometric force of the quadriceps is also reduced by 35%, and Peak isometric force normalized to muscle size is reduced by 17%. Similarly, peak power of the quadriceps is reduced by 48%, and peak power normalized to muscle cross sectional area is reduced by 33%. Additionally, stair climb, chair rise, and walk times increase by 45-80%, and stair climbing power is reduced by 40% with aging. Quadriceps maximal shortening velocity reduces by 23%. Muscle 3457: Haus, JM et al. (2007) "Collagen, cross-linking, and advanced glycation end products in aging human skeletal muscle." J. Appl. Physiol. 103(6):2068-2076 (17901242)
Male and Female -1 -1 Muscle fibers that remain during ageing undergo major metabolic changes, and exhibit a general decrease in energy metabolism. There is a decline in enzymatic and functional differences between slow and fast twitch muscle fibers. Skeletal Muscle 2776: Gutmann, E. and Hanzlikova, V. (1972) "Age Changes in the Neuromuscular System"
Male and Female -1 -1 The median value of the rate of muscle mass loss reported across cross-sectional studies (comparing young, 18–45 years, and old, >65 years, individuals) is 0.47% per year in men and 0.37% per year in women. In longitudinal studies the loss reaches, at the age of 75, a rate of 0.64–0.70% per year in women and 0.80–00.98% per year in men. At the same time, strength is lost at a rate of 3–4% per year in men and 2.5–3% per year in women, at the age of 75. Studies that assessed changes in mass and strength in the same sample report a loss of strength 2–5 times faster than loss of mass. Skeletal Muscle 2796: Mitchell et al. (2012) "Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review." Front Physiol 3:260 (22934016)
Male and Female -1 -1 Mutations in mitochondrial DNA accumulate with ageing. There is a strong correllation between the accumulation of particular mtDNA mutations and age. However, it should be noted that the extend of accumulation varies between tissues. Heart, Kidney, Skeletal Muscle, Cerebral Cortex, Cerebellum 2767: Corral-Debrinski et al. (1992) "Mitochondrial DNA deletions in human brain: regional variability and increase with advanced age." Nat. Genet. 2(4):324-329 (1303288)|2982: Liu et al. (1998) "Mutations in mitochondrial DNA accumulate differentially in three different human tissues during ageing." Nucleic Acids Res. 26(5):1268-1275 (9469836)
Male and Female -1 -1 Myenteric plexus neuron number decreases with age. Oesophagus, Stomach, Intestine 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Naive cell (lack CD27) number increases with age while there is a decrease in memory (CD27+) cells. B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2983: Chong et al. (2005) "CD27(+) (memory) B cell decrease and apoptosis-resistant CD27(-) (naive) B cell increase in aged humans: implications for age-related peripheral B cell developmental disturbances." Int. Immunol. 17(4):383-390 (15724062)
Male and Female -1 -1 Tubular functions decrease with age at same rate as glomerular functions, which might be interpreted as evidence that nephrons fail as functional units, though this is a contentious hypothesis. Nephron 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 A continuous depletion of the neural stem cell pool was observed with age in the hippocampus. The adult hippocampal stem cells, upon exiting their quiescent state, rapidly undergo a series of asymmetric divisions to produce dividing progeny destined to become neurons and subsequently convert into mature astrocytes. The decrease in the number of neural stem cells is a division-coupled process and is directly related to their production of new neurons. Hippocampus 2974: Encinas et al. (2011) "Division-coupled astrocytic differentiation and age-related depletion of neural stem cells in the adult hippocampus." Cell Stem Cell 8(5):566-579 (21549330)
Male -1 -1 Neurofibrillars tangles and senile plaques are present in the brains of non-demented individuals. In normal ageing, the numbers of tangles, which occupy the cell body of affected neurons is relatively low and restricted to the hippocampus, amygdala and entorhinal cortex. Minimal neurofibrillary tangles are present in the transentorhinal region of individuals in middle and late life. The average tangle concentration increases exponentially with age. In contrast, amyloid plaques were absent in some brains up to age 88, and the earliest plaque formation in other cases occurred in the neocortex, in patches of diffuse plaques. Brain 2661: Price and Morris (1999) "Tangles and plaques in nondemented aging and "preclinical" Alzheimer's disease." Ann. Neurol. 45(3):358-368 (10072051)|2827: Lantos and Papp (1994) "Cellular pathology of multiple system atrophy: a review." J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 57(2):129-133 (8126492)|2848: Anderton (2002) "Ageing of the brain." Mech. Ageing Dev. 123(7):811-817 (11869738)
Male and Female -1 -1   Brain 2741: Jin et al. (2003) "Neurogenesis and aging: FGF-2 and HB-EGF restore neurogenesis in hippocampus and subventricular zone of aged mice." Aging Cell 2(3):175-183 (12882410)
Male and Female -1 -1 During ageing there is a decrease in the size of the nerve cell body, a shrinkage of the soma body. Brain 2749: Dickstein et al. (2007) "Changes in the structural complexity of the aged brain." Aging Cell 6(3):275-284 (17465981)
Male and Female -1 -1 Neurotransmitter levels and number, and the affinity of their receptors, and the activity of their metabolic enzymes undergo modest changes circumscribed to specific brain structures and individual neurotransmitter systems. Neurotransmitter activity in hippocampus for acetylcholine, in the substratia nigra and the stratial pathway for dopamin, in portions of the brain stem for norepinepherine and serotonin, and in the thalamus for gamma-aminobutyric acid. Changes in neurotransmitter levels are often paralleled by changes in both the number of receptors and their binding affinity. Brain 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 In young subjects the neutrophil counts are significantly strongly positively correlated with IL-8; in older subjects negatively with heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and weakly positively correlated with: serum amyloid A, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and C-reactive protein (all values statistically significant). Neutrophil 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 Erythroid (red blood cell precursors) and myeloid progenitor cells are seemingly not affected by aging. Myeloid Progenitor Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Nonadrenergic innervation of myenteric plexus decreases with age in proximal jejunum. Jejunum 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Study of adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells, from three age groups of healthy volunteers (young, middle aged, and aged) showed that the number and multilineage differentiation potential of adipose tissue derived stem cells declines with age. Aging reduces the proliferative capacity and at the same time cellular senescence increases. Mesenchymal Stem Cell 2849: Alt et al. (2012) "Aging alters tissue resident mesenchymal stem cell properties." Stem Cell Res 8(2):215-225 (22265741)
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of alveoli decreases with ageing. Alveolus 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of mature B cells leaving the bone marrow declines with age. Bone Marrow, B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2943: Cancro (2005) "B cells and aging: gauging the interplay of generative, selective, and homeostatic events." Immunol. Rev. 205:48-59 (15882344)
Male and Female -1 -1 Number of mature neutrophils in circulation does not appear to change with age. Blood, Neutrophil 2702: Chatta et al. (1993) "Hematopoietic progenitors and aging: alterations in granulocytic precursors and responsiveness to recombinant human G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-3." J Gerontol 48(5):M207-M212 (7690056)|2924: Desai et al. (2010) "Leukocyte function in the aging immune system." J. Leukoc. Biol. 87(6):1001-1009 (20200405)
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of de novo mutations in offsprings having autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia increases with the father’s age by an estimated effect of 2.01 mutations per year. This suggests that, as a man ages, the number of de novo mutations in his sperm increases, and the chance that a child would carry a deleterious mutation increases.    
Male and Female -1 -1 The number of T cell progenitors declines with age. T Cell Progenitor 2954: Zediak et al. (2007) "Multiple prethymic defects underlie age-related loss of T progenitor competence." Blood 110(4):1161-1167 (17456721)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Orthostatic hypotension, commonly known as blood rush, incidence increases with age. This appears to reflect an age-associated defect in the baroreceptor reflex, in which baroreceptors detect sudden changes in blood pressure and trigger compensatory changes in heart rate. Cardiovascular System 2899: Rutan et al. (1992) "Orthostatic hypotension in older adults. The Cardiovascular Health Study. CHS Collaborative Research Group." Hypertension 19(6 Pt 1):508-519 (1592445)
Male 0 15 Bone marrow stromal cells derived from 15-month-old mice developed less bone nodules than cells derived from 4-weeks old mice. Bone Marrow 2855: Li et al. (2011) "Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) affects the lineage fate determination of mesenchymal stem cells: a possible cause for reduced osteogenesis and increased adipogenesis in older individuals." J. Bone Miner. Res. 26(11):2656-2664 (21812028)
Male -1 -1 There is a general decrease in strength of cadavers' third lumbar vertebra from age ~40 onwards. Decrease in strength correlates with bone mineral content. The trend data on heel bone strength with age is less conclusive, though appears to decline at later ages. Bone 2664: Weaver and Chalmers (1966) "Cancellous bone: its strength and changes with aging and an evaluation of some methods for measuring its mineral content." J Bone Joint Surg Am 48(2):289-298 (5932914)
Male and Female -1 -1 Cystine is a molecule composed of two cysteine residues oxidatively linked via a disulfide bond. An increase in the concentration of cystine relative to cysteine in human plasma is observed with age. This ratio of cystine to cysteine may be a index for a generalized increase in systemic oxidative stress. Plasma 2728: Hildebrandt et al. (2002) "Plasma cystine concentration and redox state in aging and physical exercise." Mech. Ageing Dev. 123(9):1269-1281 (12020948)|2779: Cuervo. Ana Maria et al (2005) "The Importance of Maintaining "Clean" Cells" Autophagy and Aging 1:131-140|2914: Hack et al. (1998) "The redox state as a correlate of senescence and wasting and as a target for therapeutic intervention." Blood 92(1):59-67 (9639500)
Male and Female 0 21 Beta cell mass expands by severalfold from brith to adulthood. Islates grow in size rather than in number during this transition. Relative rate of beta-cell growth is highest in infancy and gradually declines thereafter to adulthood with no secondary accelerated growth phase during adolescence. Pancreas 2987: Meier et al. (2008) "Beta-cell replication is the primary mechanism subserving the postnatal expansion of beta-cell mass in humans." Diabetes 57(6):1584-1594 (18334605)
Male and Female 0 12 Pancreatic Beta-cell replication decreases rapidly in juvenile mice, then declines more slowly in adults. Beta-cells of aged adult mice have extremely low rates of replication, with minimal evidence of turnover. Beta cell replication declines as rodents age. Beta-cells proliferate very slowly in 1-year-old mice, with 1 in 1400 cells replicating per day. The age-dependent decline in Beta-cell replication eventually approaches 0. Pancreas 2968: Teta et al. (2005) "Very slow turnover of beta-cells in aged adult mice." Diabetes 54(9):2557-2567 (16123343)
Male and Female -1 -1 Bennett et al. note an increasing prevalence of Parkinsonian signs in 3,622 individuals over the age of 65. These signs included bradykinesia (which included slow finger taps), gait disturbance, rigidity of the extremities, and tremor. The most prevalent changes were slow finger taps, which increased from 23% in the 65-74 year old group to 62% in the 85+ group, and reduced arm swing, which increased from 24% in the 65-74 year old group to 64% in the 85+ group. Nervous System 2790: Bennett et al. (1996) "Prevalence of parkinsonian signs and associated mortality in a community population of older people." N. Engl. J. Med. 334(2):71-76 (8531961)
Male and Female -1 -1 Lung peak flow, which should reflect greatest flow rate measured as volume/time, declines with age. Lung 2896: Fernández-Ballesteros et al. (2004) "Assessing competence: the European Survey on Aging Protocol (ESAP)." Gerontology 50(5):330-347 (15331863)
Male and Female -1 -1 Peristaltic amplitude is diminished with age. Oropharynx, Oesophagus 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 The morphology of blood brain barrier is altered with age, resulting in increased permeability. Blood Brain Barrier 2758: Rubin and Staddon (1999) "The cell biology of the blood-brain barrier." Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 22:11-28 (10202530)|2788: Farrall and Wardlaw (2009) "Blood-brain barrier: ageing and microvascular disease--systematic review and meta-analysis." Neurobiol. Aging 30(3):337-352 (17869382)
Male and Female -1 -1 Neutrophil phagocytosis is decreased in response to opsonized (i.e. coated, eg. by antibodies) E. coli and S. aureus. Neutrophil 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Neutrophil phagocytosis is unchanged in response to unopsonized (i.e. not coated, e.g. by antibodies) bacterial substrates. Weiskopf interprets this as indicating intact receptors for innate bacterial recognition. Neutrophil 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2957: Emanuelli et al. (1986) "Influence of age on polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro: phagocytic activity in healthy human subjects." Gerontology 32(6):308-316 (3582991)
Male -1 -1 Berlyne et al. (1975) compared renal function in young (18–19 years) and old (mean 76.8 years) healthy cohorts. Tubular reabsorption of phosphate in the young group was 85.1% (±4.72%) compared to 70.2% (±6.5%) in the old group (p<0.001). Renal Tubule 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)|2895: Berlyne et al. (1975) "The aetiology of senile osteoporosis: secondary hyperparathyroidism due to renal failure." Q. J. Med. 44(175):505-521 (1178820)
Male and Female -1 -1 Plasma and urinary catecholamine elevation after variety of stimuli takes longer to return to baseline in the elderly. Plasma 2844: King et al. (2005) "Human response to alpha2-adrenergic agonist stimulation studied in an isolated vascular bed in vivo: Biphasic influence of dose, age, gender, and receptor genotype." Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 77(5):388-403 (15900285)
Male -1 -1 Spermidine and spermine levels in Male Wistar rats were seen to decrease with age (Ferioli and Comoli 1974). Liver spermidine levels peaked in one-month-old individuals at 829.6±36.56 pmole/gram, falling to 495.6±78.40 in three-month-old individuals. Kidney spermidine levels fell from 420.4±26.6 pmole/gram at one month to 184.8±23.7 at 22 months. Liver and kidney spermine levels remained relatively constant throughout life (liver range 427.2–564.4 pmole/gram; kidney range 444.2–547.4 pmole/gram). Kidney 2740: Ferioli and Comolli (1975) "Changes of liver and kidney polyamine levels during aging." Exp. Gerontol. 10(1):13-15 (1132443)|2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1   Heart 2832: Kaldor, G. (1978) "Aging in Muscle (Aging Series)"
Male and Female -1 -1 Possible blunting of growth hormone secretion increase in response to stimuli (including stress, surgical trauma, exercise, arginine stimulation, sleep). Endocrine System 143: Bartke et al. (2001) "Genes that prolong life: relationships of growth hormone and growth to aging and life span." J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 56(8):B340-B349 (11487592)
Male and Female -1 -1 Postprandial serum bile acids decrease with age. Alimentary System 2902: Arora et al. (1989) "Effect of age on tests of intestinal and hepatic function in healthy humans." Gastroenterology 96(6):1560-1565 (2714580)|2994: Meier and Sturm (2009) "The intestinal epithelial barrier: does it become impaired with age?" Dig Dis 27(3):240-245 (19786747)
Male and Female -1 -1 Sustained activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lower in older vs. younger adults during semantic encoding task. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1   Skin 2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Male and Female -1 -1 With ageing pro-B cell generation and differentiation declines.    
Male and Female -1 -1 The vitreous humor is a transparent gel of mostly extracellular matrix. With age the gel-like consistency is lost, which is associated with a reduction in shock-absorbing capabilities of the matrix and predisposition to posterior vitreous detachment. Posterior vitreous detachment is a condition where the cortex (outer part) of the vitreous humor detaches from the inner layer of the retina (the inner limiting lamina). Liquefaction is part of a process called synchysis, defined by Stedman's Medical Dictionary as the collapse of the collagenous framework of the vitreous humor with liquefaction of the vitreous body. Vitreous Humor 2730: Myron Yanoff and Jay S. Duker (1999) "Ophthalmology" |2762: Bishop et al. (2004) "Age-related changes on the surface of vitreous collagen fibrils." Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 45(4):1041-1046 (15037566)
Female -1 -1 Prolactin levels decrease during ageing in Females. Plasma 2662: Vekemans and Robyn (1975) "Influence of age on serum prolactin levels in women and men." Br Med J 4(5999):738-739 (1212585)
Male and Female -1 -1 Prolactin levels increase slightly during ageing in Males. Plasma 2662: Vekemans and Robyn (1975) "Influence of age on serum prolactin levels in women and men." Br Med J 4(5999):738-739 (1212585)|2995: (2007) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Fourth Edition" 149
Male -1 -1 Old age creates an environment in which lymphocyte proliferation is reduced, in part because there are fewer T cell progenitors and less IL-7 produced by stromal cells. Lymphocytes 2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Isolated mesenchymal stem cells exhibited a reduced proliferation rate in vitro with age, measured as cell doubling time and cell number over culturing days 2-10. Age correlation for doubling time was assessed via comparing subjects over age 55 vs. subjects under age 50. The cell cycle state was examined via flow cytometry and no age-associated changes were found for time spent in the different cell cycle phases, suggesting prolongation of all stages of the cell cycle. Mesenchymal Stem Cell 2891: Zhou et al. (2008) "Age-related intrinsic changes in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their differentiation to osteoblasts." Aging Cell 7(3):335-343 (18248663)
Male -1 -1 As a result of progressive downregulation of calcium clearance processes (itself a product of dysfunction of calcium pumping activity or mitochondrial calcium buffering) calcium signalling is substantially prolonged in aged neurons, a result shown consistently in several studies. Brain 2672: Toescu and Verkhratsky (2007) "The importance of being subtle: small changes in calcium homeostasis control cognitive decline in normal aging." Aging Cell 6(3):267-273 (17517038)
Male and Female -1 -1 The proportion of cells that were found to be apoptotic increased from ~0.2% to ~1%. However, the sample size was small (10 subjects), and only one subject was included under the age of 45 years (age 20). Most of the subjects over the age of 45 years had proportions at 1%. Furthermore, there might be a significant possibiliy that cell extraction could obfuscate the relevance of these results to the in vivo state. Up-regulation of the p53 pathway was also observed in the older subjects (small sample pool). Mesenchymal Stem Cell 2891: Zhou et al. (2008) "Age-related intrinsic changes in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their differentiation to osteoblasts." Aging Cell 7(3):335-343 (18248663)
Male and Female -1 -1   T Cell 2872: Timiras, P. S. (1994) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Second Edition"
Male and Female -1 -1 Different forms of chondroitin sulfate are secreted with age. Age-associated proteoglycan alterations are associated with tissue damage, inflammation, and osteoarthritis. Cartilage 2735: Squires et al. (2003) "The pathobiology of focal lesion development in aging human articular cartilage and molecular matrix changes characteristic of osteoarthritis." Arthritis Rheum. 48(5):1261-1270 (12746899)|2809: Balazs, E. A. (1977) "Intercellular matrix of connective tissue" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging227-240
Male 20 75 The ratio of oxidized/reduced plasma albumin in young (average age 20 years) and old (average age 75 years) healthy individuals is approximately 0.3 and 1, respectively. Plasma 2678: Era et al. (1995) "Age-related change in redox state of human serum albumin." Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1247(1):12-16 (7873580)|2772: Dröge (2002) "Aging-related changes in the thiol/disulfide redox state: implications for the use of thiol antioxidants." Exp. Gerontol. 37(12):1333-1345 (12559403)|2919: Dröge (2002) "The plasma redox state and ageing." Ageing Res. Rev. 1(2):257-278 (12039442)
Male and Female -1 -1 While performing a visually paced "button-press" motor task, the reaction time was greater in elderly (>50 years, mean 59) subjects vs. young (<35 years, mean 30) subjects. No differences in accuracy were observed. Additionally, the contralateral sensorimotor cortex, lateral premotor area, supplementary motor area, ipsilateral cerebellum, were activated more in the elderly, and the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex, putamen (left > right), and contralateral cerebellum were activated in the elderly only. The authors conclude that elderly subjects recruit additional cortical and subcortical areas even for the performance of simple motor tasks. Brain 2680: Mattay et al. (2002) "Neurophysiological correlates of age-related changes in human motor function." Neurology 58(4):630-635 (11865144)
Male and Female -1 -1 Diversity of naïve T-cell receptors is decreased with age. Grey Matter 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 Receptor for advanced glycation endproducts - activity increases with age. Blood Brain Barrier 2864: Zeevi et al. (2010) "The blood-brain barrier: geriatric relevance of a critical brain-body interface." J Am Geriatr Soc 58(9):1749-1757 (20863334)
Male and Female -1 -1 In tests for verbal familiarity, reduced hippocampal activity and reduced functional connectivity in hippocampal-parietotemporal network were observed with age. Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1   Brain 2803: Grady (2008) "Cognitive neuroscience of aging." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1124:127-144 (18400928)
Male and Female -1 -1 Limb muscles from older men and women are 25-35% smaller and have significantly more fat and connective tissue than limb muscles from younger individuals. Quadriceps cross-sectional area is substantially smaller in healthy older versus young men. Type II (fast-twitch) muscle fiber size is substantially smaller in the elderly versus the young, while the size of type I (slow-twitch) fibers is much less affected by age. Differences in type II muscle fiber size fully explained differences in quadriceps cross-sectional area between the two groups. Reduced muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to smaller type II muscle fiber size. Skeletal Muscle 2698: Nilwik et al. (2013) "The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size." Exp. Gerontol. 48(5):492-498 (23425621)|2711: Lexell (1995) "Human aging, muscle mass, and fiber type composition." J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 50 Spec No:11-16 (7493202)
Male 30 90 There is a progressive diminution in renal plasma flow with increasing age in healthy patients. A similar reduction in glomerular filtration rate, as well as the maximum rate of excretion of diodrast, and the maximum rate of reabsorption of glucose, has been found. No subjects with clinical evidence or history of renal disease were included. Subjects were also excluded if they had a blood pressure greater than 140/90. Kidney 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female -1 -1 A reduction in small intestine absorption rate is observed with age. Small Intestine 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Body composition changes with advancing age, with the loss of protein tissue being most significant. Whole Body 2660: Chernoff (2004) "Protein and older adults." J Am Coll Nutr 23(6 Suppl):627S-630S (15640517)
Male and Female -1 -1   Whole Body 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 20 90 The regulation of the acid-base equilibrium of the blood does not change systematically with age. The average values between the ages of 45 and 90 years, compared with observations on students, showed that there is a slight diminution in the average pH of the blood in the older subjects, but the bicarbonate content and CO2 tension of the plasma are maintained within normal limits. Overall, under resting conditions, the mechanisms available for regulation of acid-base balance are apparently unchanged with age.    
Male and Female 40 -1 Renal blood flow declines by approximately 10% per decade after age 40. Renal Vasculature 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decline with age, observed from fetal and neonatal stages, in renewal capacity of hematopoeitic stem cells (HSC) from which immune cells are replenished. Hematopoietic Stem Cells 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2911: Lansdorp et al. (1994) "Age-related decline in proliferative potential of purified stem cell candidates." Blood Cells 20(2-3):376-80; discussion 380 (7538342)
Male and Female -1 -1 Study of the integration of carbon-14, generated by nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War into DNA, showed that cardiomyocytes renew, with a gradual decrease from 1% turning over annually at the age of 25 to 0.45% at the age of 75. Heart 3463: Bergmann, O et al. (2009) "Evidence for cardiomyocyte renewal in humans." Science 324(5923):98-9102 (19342590)
Male and Female -1 -1 Decrease in nerve impulses to respiratory muscles is observed with ageing. Respiratory System 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 A 12-25% decrease in diaphragm strength is observed with ageing. Respiratory System, Muscle 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male and Female -1 -1 Responses to hypoxemia (low oxygen partial pressure) and hypercapnia (high carbon dioxide partial pressure) are decreased with ageing. Respiratory System 2746: Britto et al. (2009) "Effects of the aging process on respiratory function." Gerontology 55(5):505-510 (19713688)
Male 20 -1 Miller and Shock administered antidiuretic hormone to a cohort of 29 adult Males (age range 26-86 years). Urine output and urine/plasma inulin ratio increased after ADH administration in old, middle and young groups but markedly less in the old group than the young group. Renal Tubule 2738: MILLER and SHOCK (1953) "Age differences in the renal tubular response to antidiuretic hormone." J Gerontol 8(4):446-450 (13130853)|2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age, the efficacy of response to beta-adrenergic stimulation of heart rate is decreased. Heart 2925: Rodeheffer et al. (1984) "Exercise cardiac output is maintained with advancing age in healthy human subjects: cardiac dilatation and increased stroke volume compensate for a diminished heart rate." Circulation 69(2):203-213 (6690093)
Male and Female -1 -1 Responsiveness of cholinergic receptors is decreased with age in isolated ileum. Ileum 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female -1 -1 Resting and squeeze pressures in anal canal decrease with age. Anus 2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female 40 96 Analysis of 420 individuals from the "Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging" (age range: 40-96), grouped into IDEAL and non-IDEAL candidates (based on health status) showed a general decrease trend in the resting metabolic rate with ageing. While the decrease with ageing was observed for both groups (IDEAL and non-IDEAL), the IDEAL group had an overall lower resting metabolic rate than the non-IDEAL group. Whole Body 3459: Schrack, JA et al. (2014) ""IDEAL" aging is associated with lower resting metabolic rate: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging." J Am Geriatr Soc 62(4):667-672 (24635835)
Male and Female -1 -1   Respiratory System, Musculoskeletal System 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 ROS production is unchanged with age in response to N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Neutrophil 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 A significant increase in protein oxidation, loss of mitochondrial complex I activity and increased astrocytic proliferation were observed with increasing age in the substantia nigra. This was attributed to a significant decrease in antioxidant function represented by superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) peroxidase (GPx) and GSH reductase (GR) and a decreasing trend in total GSH and catalase with increasing age. All these parameters were found to be relatively unaltered in the caudate nucleus.    
Male and Female -1 -1 The sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is important in hormonal responses to stress and is impaired in old individuals. Pituitary Gland, Adrenal Gland, Hypothalamus 2791: Magri et al. (1997) "Changes in endocrine circadian rhythms as markers of physiological and pathological brain aging." Chronobiol. Int. 14(4):385-396 (9262874)
Male and Female 0 91 Klotho serum levels decline with age. Plasma 2696: Xiao et al. (2004) "Klotho is a serum factor related to human aging." Chin. Med. J. 117(5):742-747 (15161545)
Male and Female -1 -1 Measured longitudinally in two cohorts of Australian Males. Plasma 2970: Liu et al. (2007) "Age-related changes in serum testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin in Australian men: longitudinal analyses of two geographically separate regional cohorts." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 92(9):3599-3603 (17595245)
Male and Female -1 -1   B Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 An actively respiring cell's survival depends on its ability to protect itself against oxidative stresses. This protection involves the presence of antioxidative defenses at certain concentrations; a cells antioxidative defensive capability can measured in several ways one of which is its ratio of reduced:oxidized glutathione. There is overall shift in the reduced:oxidized glutathione in favour of the oxidized glutathione in ageing mice tissues. Blood, Lymphocytes 2991: Rebrin .Igor, Kamzalov .Sergey, Sohal .Rajindar S (2003) "Effects of age and caloric restriction on glutathione redox state in mice" Free Radical Biology and Medicine 35:626-635
Male and Female 0 77 Analysis of human pelvic skin samples obtained from patients aged between 15-77 and newborn babies (0-1 year old) previously scheduled for an unrelated surgical procedure showed a strong negative correlation between SIRT1 activity and age in Males but not in Females. Skin 2933: Massudi et al. (2012) "Age-associated changes in oxidative stress and NAD+ metabolism in human tissue." PLoS ONE 7(7):e42357 (22848760)
Male and Female -1 -1 Skin becomes thinner with age, also looser and collagen texture changes. Branchet et al. found epidermal thickness to decrease 7.2%/decade in men and 5.7%/decade in Females. Total dermal thickness decreased about 6%/decade in men and women. Epidermis, Dermis 2880: Branchet et al. (1990) "Skin thickness changes in normal aging skin." Gerontology 36(1):28-35 (2384222)|2918: Kligman, A. M., G. L. Grove and A. K. Balin. (1985) "Aging of human skin" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 2nd ed820-841
Male and Female -1 -1   Respiratory System, Nervous System 2845: Dealberto et al. (1996) "Breathing disorders during sleep and cognitive performance in an older community sample: the EVA Study." J Am Geriatr Soc 44(11):1287-1294 (8909342)
Male and Female -1 -1 With age there is a slowing down of peristaltic motion in the alimentary canal. Alimentary System 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Sodium conservation is decreased with age, suggesting that the kidney's capacity to conserve sodium declines with ageing. Renal Tubule 2642: Epstein and Hollenberg (1976) "Age as a determinant of renal sodium conservation in normal man." J. Lab. Clin. Med. 87(3):411-417 (1249474)|2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female 22 90 Elderly individuals (76-90 years) had increased basal somatostatin values compared to young adults (22-30 years). Elderly individuals also had minor diurnal variations compared to young adults. Somatostatin is also known as growth hormone-inhibiting hormone. Plasma 2693: Rolandi et al. (1987) "Somatostatin in the elderly: diurnal plasma profile and secretory response to meal stimulation." Gerontology 33(5):296-301 (2890557)
Male -1 -1 Decrease in normal motile sperm, compensation with increase in sperm density. Pasqualotto et al. also found a decrease in sperm concentration, motility and normal sperm morphology with age. Male Reproductive System 2931: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 192|2953: Pasqualotto et al. (2005) "Sperm concentration and normal sperm morphology decrease and follicle-stimulating hormone level increases with age." BJU Int. 96(7):1087-1091 (16225533)
Male and Female -1 -1 Production of superoxide in isolated neutrophils in the absence of any stimuli/activators decreases with age. Neutrophil 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male and Female -1 -1 Local sweating capacity is lower in older subjects (measured as a response of sweat glands to pharmacological stimuli). Although in most cases it seems that the sweat output declines continuously throughout adulthood, there are also studies suggesting that the glandular function declines after 60-70 years old. Additionally, regional differences in sweat gland function have been observed, with a greater age effect on the forehead and limbs than on the trunk.    
Male 74 90 Synaptic density was constant throughout adult life but there was a slight decline from ages 74 to 90. Frontal Lobe 2946: Huttenlocher (1979) "Synaptic density in human frontal cortex - developmental changes and effects of aging." Brain Res. 163(2):195-205 (427544)
Male and Female -1 -1 The synovial fluid becomes thinner and less viscous, and its biochemical composition is altered with age. Synovium 2809: Balazs, E. A. (1977) "Intercellular matrix of connective tissue" in Handbook of the Biology of Aging227-240
Male and Female 20 80 Burt et al. measured the prevalence of hypertension in 9,901 US adults. Mean systolic blood pressure increased from about 115 in men and 110 in women in the 18-19 age group, to about 145 in men and 150 in women in the 80 age group. Shock et al. also found that the peak systolic blood pressure in individuals living in active community (age 24-79 years) increases with age. Systolic blood pressure increases with age and is thought to be primarily due to stiffening in the arterial vascular tree. Cardiovascular System 2658: Miall and Lovell (1967) "Relation between change of blood pressure and age." Br Med J 2(5553):660-664 (6024522)|2724: Shock, N. W. et al (1984) "Normal Human Aging: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. NIH Publ. no 84-2450" |2978: Burt et al. (1995) "Prevalence of hypertension in the US adult population. Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991." Hypertension 25(3):305-313 (7875754)
Male and Female -1 -1   Anatomical System 2689: Fahlström et al. (2011) "Behavioral changes in aging Female C57BL/6 mice." Neurobiol. Aging 32(10):1868-1880 (20005598)
Male and Female -1 -1 T-cell diversity declines with age with fewer CD41 and CD81 T cells. T Cell 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 -1 In every cell division the telomeres are shortened which reduces the ability for a replicative cell to proliferate known as the `end replication-problem' though this is overcome through the extension of the telomeres by telomerase. The presence of telomerase in a cell determines a cells longevity.    
Male and Female 1 -1 Average telomere length decreases with age concomitant with an increase in short telomeres. Anatomical System 2945: Bernardes de Jesus et al. (2012) "Telomerase gene therapy in adult and old mice delays aging and increases longevity without increasing cancer." EMBO Mol Med 4(8):691-704 (22585399)
Male and Female 19 77 Telomeres are shortening with age at similar rates across tissues, maintaining the tissue differences established at a younger age. Adipose Tissue, Skeletal Muscle, Skin, Leukocyte 3464: Daniali, L et al. (2013) "Telomeres shorten at equivalent rates in somatic tissues of adults." Nat Commun 4:1597 (23511462)
Male and Female -1 -1 Reduced ability of tendons to elongate. With age, tendons become less resilient, more vulnerable to rupture. Contributing factors include loss of tissue elasticity and changes in collagen structure. Tendon 2938: Shephard, R. J. (1982) "Physiology and Biochemistry of Exercise"
Male and Female 20 80 In normal human lenses, the total water content of the nucleus remains unchanged with age, but the state of the water alters. The ratio of free to bound water increases steadily throughout adult life. Lens 2858: Heys et al. (2008) "Free and bound water in normal and cataractous human lenses." Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 49(5):1991-1997 (18436831)
Male -1 -1 Akervall et al. (1990) found that the threshold for perception of rectal filling (that is, the lowest anal pressure that caused a sensation of rectal fullness) increases with age in both men and women from an average pressure of 9cm of water (9cm H2O) to 21cm H2O in women and from 11cm H2O to 14 cm H2O in men. Rectum, Anus 2805: Akervall et al. (1990) "The effects of age, gender, and parity on rectoanal functions in adults." Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 25(12):1247-1256 (2274746)|2956: Orr and Chen (2002) "Aging and neural control of the GI tract: IV. Clinical and physiological aspects of gastrointestinal motility and aging." Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 283(6):G1226-G1231 (12433662)
Male and Female 30 -1 With ageing, and due to thymus involution, there is a decline in thymic hormone levels. Plasma 2710: Lewis et al. (1978) "Age, thymic involution, and circulating thymic hormone activity." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 47(1):145-150 (263654)
Male and Female 20 -1 Starting around sexual maturity the size and lymphatic mass of the thymus decreases. The cortex and medulla of the thymus are replaced by fat. Thymus 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2752: Bodey et al. (1997) "Involution of the mammalian thymus, one of the leading regulators of aging." In Vivo 11(5):421-440 (9427047)|2903: George and Ritter (1996) "Thymic involution with ageing: obsolescence or good housekeeping?" Immunol. Today 17(6):267-272 (8962629)
Male and Female 20 89 A systematic loss of total body potassium (TBK) was observed with ageing for the age interval 20-89 years old. The decrease could be approximated by the following quadratic equations: For Females, TBK (g) = 100.2 + 0.214 x age – 0.00658 x (age)^2 (r = 0.729, p < 0.001); for Males, TBK (g) = 164.5 + 0.0167 x age – 0.00843 x (age)^2 (r = 0.760, p < 0.001). Whole Body 2878: Kehayias et al. (1997) "Total body potassium and body fat: relevance to aging." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 66(4):904-910 (9322566)
Male 20 90 Total body water in Males (calculated by measuring the antipyrine space) decreases with age. Whole Body 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male and Female -1 -1 The transmission of visible light through eye lenses decreases with age. Lens 2826: Dillon et al. (1999) "The optical properties of the anterior segment of the eye: implications for cortical cataract." Exp. Eye Res. 68(6):785-795 (10375442)
Male and Female -1 -1 The transport maximum, or the tubular maximum, is the maximum rate of secretion or reabsorption by the renal tubules and declines with age. Renal Tubule 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female 26 87 Blood triglyceride level was significant higher in thirty-seven elderly subjects (median age, 87, range 70-95 years; median: 0.8 g\\L) than in 22 young subjects (median age, 26, range 21-37 years; median: 0.58 g\\L). Plasma 2871: Ogawa et al. (2008) "The association of elevated reactive oxygen species levels from neutrophils with low-grade inflammation in the elderly." Immun Ageing 5:13 (18950479)
Male -1 -1 Timiras states that hepatocyte turnover slows with age. This is speculated to result from cellular defects such as binucleation and polyploidy. For this change Timiras cites Schmucker DL, \A quantitative morphological evaluation of hepatocytes in young, mature, and senescent Fischer 344 Male rats\" in Kitani K (editor), \"Liver and Aging\", Amsterdam: Elsevier, North Holland Biomedical Press, 1978:21-38." Liver 2872: Timiras, P. S. (1994) "Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics, Second Edition"
Male -1 -1 While ubiquitylation does not seem to be affected by age—studies in human fibroblasts show no decrease in levels of ubiquitin or ubiquitin mRNA—proteasomal degradation becomes less efficient with age. Ferrington (2005) found severe decreases of proteasome regulatory proteins in aged muscle, and Carrard (2002) noted changes in the oxidation state of proteasome subunits which are likely to affect proteasome function. Whole Body, Brain 2800: Martinez-Vicente et al. (2005) "Protein degradation and aging." Exp. Gerontol. 40(8-9):622-633 (16125351)
Male and Female 20 79 Rowe et al. found that the urine concentrating ability declines with age (20 to 79 years), and does not correlate with age-related decline in creatinine clearance. Renal Tubule 2744: Rowe et al. (1976) "The influence of age on the renal response to water deprivation in man." Nephron 17(4):270-278 (951013)|2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)|2966: Dontas et al. (1972) "Mechanisms of renal tubular defects in old age." Postgrad Med J 48(559):295-303 (18557242)
Male and Female -1 -1 Vaccination antibody response is impaired with ageing and correlates with CD8 effector T cell accumulation. Immune System 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)
Male and Female -1 -1 Katzung et al. note that 1) the hepatic drug metabolism changes are more pronounced for phase 1 (non-conjugation) vs. phase 2 (conjugation) reactions; 2) the following drugs exhibit age-associated declines in hepatic clearance: alprazolam, barbiturates, carbenoxolone, chlordiazepoxide, clobazam, desmethyldiazepam, diazepam, flurazepam, imipramine, meperidine, nortriptyline, phenylbutazone, propranolol, quinidine/quinine, theophylline, and tolbutamide; and 3) the following drugs do not exhibit age-associated changes in hepatic clearance: ethanol, isoniazid, lidocaine, lorazepam, nitrazepam, oxazepam, prazosin, salicylate, and warfarin. Liver 2699: Katzung et al. (2009) "Chapter 60. Special Aspects of Geriatric Pharmacology" in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (http://basic-clinical-pharmacology.net/chapter%2060_%20special%20aspects%20of%20geriatric%20pharmacology.htm)
Male and Female -1 -1 Studies in industrialized countries indicate that in adulthood, there is a tendency towards an increase in body weight and BMI up until the age of 60-80, followed by a decreasing trend. The reduction is due mainly to the loss of fat-free mass, especially due to sarcopenia. Total body water and bone mass also decrease with age. Whole Body 2753: Ding et al. (2007) "Effects of birth cohort and age on body composition in a sample of community-based elderly." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 85(2):405-410 (17284736)|2976: Buffa et al. (2011) "Body composition variations in ageing." Coll Antropol 35(1):259-265 (21667542)
Male and Female -1 -1 Fat mass, both the visceral and subcutaneous components, increases throughout adulthood, although it tends to decrease in advanced age, mainly due to the loss of subcutaneous fat. In the case of people with ages between 70 and 80 years, only individuals who gained weight had an increase in subcutaneous fat, whereas those who lost weight also lost subcutaneous fat. Adipose Tissue 2727: Kyle et al. (2001) "Age-related differences in fat-free mass, skeletal muscle, body cell mass and fat mass between 18 and 94 years." Eur J Clin Nutr 55(8):663-672 (11477465)|2729: Delmonico et al. (2009) "Longitudinal study of muscle strength, quality, and adipose tissue infiltration." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 90(6):1579-1585 (19864405)|2774: Raguso et al. (2006) "A 3-year longitudinal study on body composition changes in the elderly: role of physical exercise." Clin Nutr 25(4):573-580 (16330136)|2856: Visser et al. (2003) "One- and two-year change in body composition as measured by DXA in a population-based cohort of older men and women." J. Appl. Physiol. 94(6):2368-2374 (12598481)|2976: Buffa et al. (2011) "Body composition variations in ageing." Coll Antropol 35(1):259-265 (21667542)
Male 17 76 Hollenberg et al. used a xenon washout technique to monitor renal blood flow in response to administration of various vasoactive compounds in healthy men (age range 17-76 years). They found that while acetylcholine increased renal blood flow significantly in younger subjects this change became less pronounced with age. Renal Vasculature 2703: Hollenberg et al. (1973) "Renal vascular responses to dopamine: haemodynamic and angiographic observations in normal man." Clin Sci Mol Med 45(6):733-742 (4760032)|2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1 Ventilatory rate at maximum exertion (maximum breathing capacity) decreases by ~50% with ageing. Lung 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 The decreasing viscoelastic modulus observed in older subjects reflects age-associated parenchymal liquifaction, which the authors describe as indicative of decreasing global integrity of the brain tissue. Viscoelasticity of the brain was measured via MRI and accoustic waves (multifrequency magnetic resonance elastrography, MSE). Brain 2768: Sack et al. (2009) "The impact of aging and gender on brain viscoelasticity." Neuroimage 46(3):652-657 (19281851)
Male and Female -1 -1 Vision loss is significantly more common in elderly individuals. After the age of 65, about one in three people has some form of vision loss. Age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy are the most common forms of vision loss. Visual Apparatus 3004: Quillen (1999) "Common causes of vision loss in elderly patients." Am Fam Physician 60(1):99-9108 (10414631)
Male and Female 40 90 A comparison of the changes in blood vitamin A level, following the oral administration of 100,000 units of vitamin A, in 126 Males between the ages of 40 and 90 years showed that there is little evidence for any significant differences between older and younger subjects, suggesting that age does not seem to be an important factor in determining the absorption of vitamin A. The only exception observed was an earlier peak response in the 40 to 50 year old age group, along with a somewhat more rapid return to resting values. Plasma, Alimentary System 2811: SHOCK (1956) "Some physiological aspects of aging in man." Bull N Y Acad Med 32(4):268-283 (13304552)
Male -1 -1 The volume of hematopoietic bone marrow decreases with age. Bone Marrow 2713: HARTSOCK et al. (1965) "NORMAL VARIATIONS WITH AGING OF THE AMOUNT OF HEMATOPOIETIC TISSUE IN BONE MARROW FROM THE ANTERIOR ILIAC CREST. A STUDY MADE FROM 177 CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH EXAMINED BY NECROPSY." Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 43:326-331 (14275849)|2963: Ogawa et al. (2000) "Age-related changes of human bone marrow: a histometric estimation of proliferative cells, apoptotic cells, T cells, B cells and macrophages." Mech. Ageing Dev. 117(1-3):57-68 (10958923)|2972: Sharma et al. (2009) "The aging immune system and its relationship to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Proc Am Thorac Soc 6(7):573-580 (19934352)
Male and Female -1 45 The volume of perivascular space around thymus increases with age, while thymopoiesis declines. Thymus 2718: Weiskopf et al. (2009) "The aging of the immune system." Transpl. Int. 22(11):1041-1050 (19624493)|2783: Flores et al. (1999) "Analysis of the human thymic perivascular space during aging." J. Clin. Invest. 104(8):1031-1039 (10525041)
Male and Female -1 -1 Left ventricular wall increases ~30% in thickness with age. This may be an adaptive response to increased load on heart from arterial stiffening. Left Ventricle 2736: Hangartner et al. (1985) "The assessment of cardiac hypertrophy at autopsy." Histopathology 9(12):1295-1306 (2937709)
Male and Female -1 -1 Weakening of the intestinal wall is observed with age. Large Intestine 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 With age there are weaker digestive tract muscle contractions. Alimentary System, Smooth Muscle 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female 59 85 There was a negative correlation between age and white matter total volume in 41 healthy individuals (aged 59-85). Older individuals had larger ventricular volumes and smaller grey and white matter volumes. White Matter 2775: Resnick et al. (2007) "Vulnerability of the orbitofrontal cortex to age-associated structural and functional brain changes." Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1121:562-575 (17846159)
Male and Female 40 -1 Widespread degeneration of glomerular blood vessels can occur with age and is associated with compromised nephron function. Renal Vasculature 2807: McLachlan (1978) "The ageing kidney." Lancet 2(8081):143-145 (78337)
Male and Female -1 -1   Respiratory System 2655: Whitbourne, S. K. (1985) "The Aging Body: Physiological Changes and Psychological Consequences"
Male and Female -1 -1 Wrinkles are one of the most obvious signs of ageing, resulting from age-related changes in elastin and collagen. Skin 2674: Kligman et al. (1985) "The anatomy and pathogenesis of wrinkles." Br. J. Dermatol. 113(1):37-42 (4015970)|2890: Arking, R. (2006) "Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles" 143|2932: Contet-Audonneau et al. (1999) "A histological study of human wrinkle structures: comparison between sun-exposed areas of the face, with or without wrinkles, and sun-protected areas." Br. J. Dermatol. 140(6):1038-1047 (10354068)
Reference:Digital Aging Atlas