Directly Reprogrammed Human Neurons to Understand Age-Related Energy Metabolism Impairment and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Healthy Aging and Neurodegeneration

Figure 5

Projections and potential contributions of iNs. iNs are a human cellular model to study neuronal aging. They retain age-associated signatures that primary mouse neurons lack because of their embryonic origin, and iPSC-derived neurons lose during the reprogramming to the pluripotent intermediary. Thus, they represent a promising strategy to study mechanisms underlying NDD onset and progression. In addition, they can be instrumental in studying the effects of currently known and used drugs, identifying new molecular targets for drug development, and deepening our understanding of the pathways involved in the beneficial effects of dietary interventions. Moreover, they constitute a stage where biomarkers for disease early diagnosis and prevention can be identified. Notably, this strategy is considered a novel and valuable model to perform precision medicine, given that it is a combination of individual-specific genetic background and environmental stimuli experienced during life and aging.