12 Year old Baby

I found an interesting
video

This girl doesn't age. She is 12 years old and stills physical and mental is 6 months old! Isn't that Amazing?
I posted this because I couldn't find any other information about it on this website and I think it is an interesting subject.
She doesn't age. Is it possible she holds the secret to cure aging?

Dear Pepijnstribos: I came across this story a few months ago as well, and didn't believe it. A colleague decided to check into it -- it is indeed a true story, and I agree with you that it is certainly a very interesting phenomenon. I actually have seen a picture of the girl with her grandmother and siblings as well as a series of pictures during most of her life. Her pediatrician has been contacted for a life history; someone is looking at her telomeres; and an inquiry has been made about her mental development. The price to pay for her apparent arrested physical development is an arrested mental development. In the one other case of this kind that we know of, the girl died at about age 15 because of problems with her intestines, and she too faced severe problems of mental development. Nevertheless, to have a teenager exhibit the phenotype of a 4-year old is astonishing. I'm encouraging my colleague to write up the details of his work and publish it in a high profile journal -- to our knowledge we have not seen this as a recognized syndrome. It may have considerable relevance to research in gerontology. Hopefully you'll see more on this by the end of this year.
S. Jay Olshansky

Very interesting, indeed... the first I've seen of this phenomenon.

This has been brought up a couple of times on the institute's web page... I think our consensus was on each occasion that in this girl "good" aspects of what is commonly called aging are disturbed. These "good" aspects might better be called development.

I would subject that for the mission of the Immortality Institute this case is of limited direct relevance, because there is currently no reason to believe that "bad" aspects of aging (getting increasingly frail prone to age-related disease) are also disturbed. This girl is unfortunately much more frail and sick than normal for her age, not less. (although at 12 years you probably can't say much about age-related disease and frailty at all)

Calling this a defect of "aging" was too bold of the doctors, because "aging" has many connotations that go far beyond what has been assessed in this girl.

this case is of limited direct relevance

Let's not be too hasty. If this is a case of differentiation arrest in specific cell lines derived from the ectoderm it would explain mental retardation and her frailty because of neurologic and immunologic deficiencies associated in such tissues when full the differentiation program is perturbed. Even if a single tissue type is manifesting neotenous characteristics in an otherwise developmentally normal organism we should seek to understand at what stage and by which mechanism the differentiation arrest occurs. Evidently these kids are not dying of cancer which is very important since it means those regulatory mechanisms are intact and this could be a novel path of immortalization or at lest delayed senescence. Control over the final differentiation step (effectively senescence) in selected cells is a prime objective. S.Jay: is your colleague aware of any genotyping and/or expression studies that have been done on this girl? Does your colleague have any preliminary data he/she would like to share and discuss with us?

Prometheus: I agree that this case may be quite relevant to an understanding of delayed senescence. I have encouraged our colleague to be extremely thorough before he goes public with anything. It may be a year at least before this and other cases are presented before the world of science -- it's entirely up to him how rapidly this moves ahead. There are also issues of privacy to deal with when it comes to formal research on these individuals.
S. Jay Olshansky

Yes, maybe. All I'm saying is currently, there is no such evidence, and speaking of an "aging" abnormality is at least premature.

speaking of an "aging" abnormality is at least premature.

Quite right, I think a "developmental abnormality" would be more appropriate.

Is there a name for this syndrome, yet? ..if there is no name for it I suggest "Wolframs syndrome" [lol] Im very sure this person will age even if it has not developed normaly, perhaps even faster then at normal rate. Pepijnstribos you are confusing the growth and development of young age with senescence and fitness-loss in old age. Wait untill the baby is 40 then you will be able to say wether she "ages" or not.

Edited by wolfram, 16 January 2006 - 06:45 PM.