Animal Research Minute – Can rats shed light on longevity?
Well, according to ScienceDaily, the naked mole rat lives to be about 30 years old – which far exceeds other rodents – and experiences virtually no signs of aging or age-related diseases. Scientists think the reason is large amounts of a growth factor called NRG-1 in the rodents’ brains. This growth factor is found in other rodents and people too, but declines as we age. Naked mole rats have the highest lifelong levels of NRG-1. This finding shows that NRG-1 plays an important role in preventing aging and age-related diseases.
Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510132711.htm