The research program of the research training group 1033/2 is focussed on the investigation of molecular mechanisms in aging and the identification of novel strategies for aging prevention. The doctoral projects in the proposed second funding period will all concentrate on the brain as the model organ of interest. The central research idea aims at the elucidation of the hitherto poorly understood molecular mechanisms of brain aging and their possible links with aging-associated neurodegenerative processes, including the investigation of strategies for prevention or delay of neurodegeneration during aging. The scientific program comprises three interconnected areas of research dealing with

• oxidative stress and aging-associated gene expression,
• aging-dependend synaptic transmission and cognitive changes, as well as
• detection, cellular degradation and prevention of toxic protein aggregates in the aging brain.

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