Published on: Dec 03, 2025
Normal aging is often accompanied by declines in learning, memory, and executive function. With age, people commonly experience changes in information recall, processing speed, visuospatial ability, and cognitive flexibility. Although these patterns—referred to as normal cognitive aging—are well recognized, the biological mechanisms driving them remain only partly understood.
A new study from researchers at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine reports that a treatment using naturally occurring particles, known as extracellular vesicles (EVs) and released by bone marrow stem cells, can slow or even reverse aspects of typical age-related memory decline. In an experimental model, these small vesicles helped preserve memory function and enhanced communication between brain regions over a two-year period. According to the researchers, EVs carry proteins, lipids, and RNAs that can reduce inflammation and support various brain cell types as they respond to age-related stress.
This is the first study to demonstrate that such a treatment can protect both brain structure and function during normal aging in a model highly comparable to humans.
By applying secreted stem cells, specifically EVs, we found that the aging brain retains a remarkable capacity for resilience. Our findings suggest that aging is not predetermined; brain health can be supported and sustained even later in life.
The team conducted the study in middle-aged subjects—an age range in which cognitive decline typically begins to emerge. Half of the subjects received regular infusions of EVs from young, healthy donor cells every two weeks for 18 months, while the remaining subjects received a control treatment. All participants underwent memory and learning tests before and after the intervention, along with MRI scans to assess connectivity and communication efficiency between brain regions.
By the end of the study, those treated with EVs demonstrated stronger working memory and healthier patterns of brain connectivity, indicating more efficient communication across different neural regions.
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