Key points from article :
A new study at the Buck Institute explored why older people face higher dehydration risks. Dr. Jennifer Garrison and team led this work to understand how ageing affects our brain’s thirst signals and kidneys' ability to hold water. As we age, our sense of thirst weakens, and our kidneys lose the ability to concentrate urine, making it harder to stay hydrated. Jang used live brain imaging in mice to watch real-time signals in the brain while the mice ate and drank.
The authors focused on the subfornical organ (SFO), a small brain area that tells us when to feel thirsty or quenched, and found that ageing mice had weaker signals during meals. Surprisingly, even when the SFO sent signals, older mice did not always feel the push to drink because other brain circuits changed too.
The study also looked at vasopressin, a hormone that helps kidneys save water, and saw that older mice’s kidneys did not respond well, making them pee more often and lose more water. This weak response can lead to higher risks of delirium, fractures, and even death in older adults. The study hopes to create new ways to help people drink enough as they age and keep their fluid levels healthy.
