American Physiological Society Handbook of Physiology: Aging Section 11 Book

The aims of this new section of the Handbook of Physiology are two. One is to present a source of basic knowledge about aging including research approaches for use by physiologists as well as other biologists not directly involved in aging research. The other is to provide comprehensive information for gerontologists on the physiological characteristics of aging in mammals, particularly humans. The principles of biological gerontology are presented in Part I, which includes discussions of approaches to the measurement of the rate of aging of populations, the difficulty of assessing aging of the individual, theoretical concepts regarding the nature of aging, and conceptual issues concerning the relationship between aging and disease. Methodological issues unique to aging research are presented in Part II. The focus is on study design and analysis and on cell culture models, animal models and human subject use. Part III provides a detailed description of the cellular and noncellular aspects of aging. This part also discusses the metabolic characteristics of aging. In Part IV, twelve chapters provide comprehensive coverage of the influence of age on the physiology of the nervous systems and the organism. Interventions of aging processes, proposed and established, are the subject of Part V.Read More