Turnover of synaptic membranes: age-related changes and modulation by dietary restriction.

We examined age-related changes in the turnover rates of synaptic membrane components that might underlie the decrease in synaptic functions in senescence. Synaptic membrane constituents were labeled in vivo with deuterium and the disappearance of the deuterated molecules from synaptic membranes was measured by mass spectrometry. The turnover rates of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, cholesterol, and synaptophysin were all shown to slow down with aging.