Klotho, The Brain Power Hormone You Have Never Heard Of

In Greek mythology, Clotho was one of the three Fates. Typically depicted as a young woman, Clotho's special gift was the ability to spin the thread of human life. A hormone given a similar name seems to have similar functions in the human brain.

Klotho is a gene that encodes the manufacture of a protein of the same name. Its epinomynous chemical is a "transmembrane" protein, extending like a thread both inside and outside a human cell. The hormone can also be found in the bloodstream, secreted by the cells that make it. It helps brain cells maintain their connections to each other, and also helps the brain preserve the stem cells it needs to repair itself.

The functions of the klotho protein in other parts of the body are to maintain the youth and life of stem cells. All of us have a certain number of stem cells that our bodies can use to make any kind of cell we need, all through out lives. When there is a deficiency of klotho, stem cells age and die. Without stem cells, the body cannot repair its tissues. Deficiencies of klotho can cause cells to enter a state called senescence. These cells can no longer reproduce themselves as they age and deteriorate. 

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• At any given age, people with higher levels of klotho score higher on tests in intellectual ability and eye-hand coordination. Klotho seems to strengthen the connections between brain cells.
• Simply eating less increases klotho levels. The older you get, the greater and more predictable the beneficial effect of calorie restriction on your brain health.
• Higher klotho levels are associated with more gray matter in the brain. Specifically, higher levels of this hormone are associated with a greater volume of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This is the region of the brain associated with executive function, or decision making. The more klotho circulates in your brain, the more likely you are not to suffer dementia.
• People who have Alzheimer's disease still make such klotho, but only about 80 percent as much as people of the same age who do not have Alzheimer's disease. Scientists don't expect that klotho will completely stop Alzheimer's disease, which is usually associated with formation of amyloid protein plaques that damage neurons, but it may compensate for some of the damage done by Alzheimer's. It is more likely to be a treatment than a cure.
• In tests with laboratory animals, higher levels of klotho were associated with higher intelligence at all ages, not just in older laboratory animals.
• The klotho gene can be activated by exercise. Getting regular exercise, even if it is just walking, keeps the brain more "plastic," more able to adapt to changes caused by poor circulation or medication side effects. Exercise is associated with better verbal fluency and short-term memory.
• The effects of the klotho gene seem to spread from the front of the brain to the back. The front of the brain is the region in which reasoning takes place. The back of the brain, specifically the hippocampus, is the region in which memories are formed. When klotho has acted in these areas, it then stimulates the production of new neurons as needed from stem cells in the brain.
• The brain-protective effects of klotho involve the protection of the brain from the effects of glutamate, a potent generator of free radicals.

• There is a considerable body of evidence that suggests that Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease may respond favorably to occasional (twice a week) periods of calorie reduction. Simply eating very light dinner or a very light breakfast two days a week gives the brain a chance to rebuild damaged proteins and to repair DNA. This keeps cells from aging so that the immune system has to remove them, and healthy cells around them.
• Exercise helps keep your brain younger. Even walking can help, although more complex activities (playing a musical instrument, playing a sport, doing physical labor that requires learned skills) are even better. People over the age of 60 who do not get any exercise at all are more likely to have problems with verbal fluency and with memory.
• Antioxidants are useful in brain health. You don't have to take a shelf full of nutritional supplements. Your best source of antioxidants for brain health is fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, and coffee. You can extend the benefits of antioxidants in food and antioxidants in supplements by avoiding sugar.