Premium
The Modulation of Lifespan by Perceptual Systems
Author(s) -
Pletcher Scott D.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04926.x
Subject(s) - drosophila (subgenus) , biology , sensory system , perception , drosophila melanogaster , disease , olfaction , set (abstract data type) , genetics , neuroscience , medicine , gene , computer science , programming language
Could the mere perception of food availability reverse the beneficial effects of diet restriction, which robustly increases lifespan and reduces aging‐related disease in many species? We had noted from previous work in Drosophila that the effects of dietary restriction were fast acting, completely reversible, and largely independent of the energetic content of the food. Indeed, some characteristic of the diet seemed to be “sensed” by the flies independent of their tendency to eat it. We quickly realized that the Drosophila olfactory system, with its well‐understood architecture and associated set of genetic tools, was the ideal model to test our hypothesis. Subsequent work resulted in the identification of particular odorants and populations of sensory neurons with potent effects on lifespan, obesity, and metabolism.