A lab at Stanford’s School of Medicine decided to see what would happen if they gave young mouse blood to old mice. Past research had shown that this type of exposure could lead to improved stem cell function, liver function, and even make the old mouse’s heart healthier.

This time, they wanted to see if it could counteract the aging taking place in the old mouse’s brain.

In humans and in mice, memory lives mainly in the hippocampus. Sadly, this area of the brain is particularly vulnerable to aging. It is here that the most damage can be seen in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. If you want to see if young blood can help an aging brain, the hippocampus is an ideal place to start.

This is where the mad scientist part comes in.

In order to test their hypothesis, the lab employed a technique known as parabiosis surgery. This method of surgery involves snipping a small hole in sides of two mice and then joining them together at that hole and at their elbows, making them into a sort of conjoined twins.

Sewing things together is nothing new in science. The first time the procedure was done was back in 1864 by Dr. Paul Bert. He demonstrated that by stitching two animals together, he could join their circulatory systems.

While they may not have had much practical use for this besides showmanship in the 1800's, experiments using this method today just might help you live longer tomorrow.

No matter how creepy the methods, the research showed that this worked. The older mice performed better in memory tests after they had been given young blood.

The older brains were gaining synaptic plasticity back. As we age, our neurons start to lose the ability to communicate well. With a little young blood, these mice were able to gain that ability back. They were also able to generate more new neurons, which means that their stem cells were also positively affected.

While I do not recommend trying this out yourself (stick to the makeup counters), this research showed that there is some, as of yet, unknown factor in our blood that we lose as we age. If we could discover what that is, then perhaps we could develop treatments that are a little less macabre and would fit in makeup bags a little better.