Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Maximum life span predictions from the Gompertz mortality model

C E Finch1, M C Pike

  • 1Neurogerontology Division, Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
|May 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Higher blood lipid levels after the transition to menopause in two forager-horticulturalist populations.

Evolution, medicine, and public health·2025
Same author

APOE genotype and sex affect microglial interactions with plaques in Alzheimer's disease mice.

Acta neuropathologica communications·2019
Same author

Prenatal and early life exposure to air pollution induced hippocampal vascular leakage and impaired neurogenesis in association with behavioral deficits.

Translational psychiatry·2018
Same author

Comment on "The plateau of human mortality: Demography of longevity pioneers".

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2018
Same author

Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models.

Translational psychiatry·2017
Same author

Rust on the Brain from Microbleeds and Its Relevance to Alzheimer Studies: Invited Commentary on Cacciottolo Neurobiology of Aging, 2016.

Journal of Alzheimer's disease & Parkinsonism·2017
Same journal

Adolescent Dietary Restriction Improves Cognition and Frailty in Aged Female Wistar Rats.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
Same journal

Frailty, polypharmacy, deprescribing and 23-hour activity: insights from a mouse model.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
Same journal

The Contribution of Social and Economic Factors to Accelerated Biological Aging Differences Between Non-Hispanic Black and White Adults in the Health and Retirement Study.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
Same journal

Longitudinal changes in radiomic features of skeletal muscle on CT images with changes in muscle strength and physical performance in older adults.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
Same journal

Correction to: Association of heatwave exposure and multimorbidity with depression trajectories among older adults: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
Same journal

The association of frailty with age and lifespan in mice differs by strain and sex.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences·2026
See all related articles

The Gompertz model predicts maximum life span (tmax) primarily based on mortality rate, not population size. Slowing age-related mortality, potentially through diet restriction, could increase human life expectancy.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Population Ecology
  • Biomathematics

Background:

  • The Gompertz mortality rate model is widely used to describe age-related mortality patterns in adult populations.
  • Understanding factors influencing maximum life span (tmax) is crucial for gerontological research and public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the Gompertz model's predictions of maximum life span (tmax).
  • To investigate the influence of population size (N) and mortality rate (alpha) on tmax.
  • To identify factors contributing to discrepancies between predicted and observed tmax in various species.

Main Methods:

  • Applied the Gompertz mortality rate model to analyze age-related mortality data.
  • Compared predicted tmax with reported tmax values from local populations and world literature for select mammals and birds.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed the mathematical relationship between tmax, population size (N), and the Gompertz coefficient (alpha).

    • Main Results:

    • Population size (N) has a minimal impact on maximum life span (tmax) predictions.
    • The Gompertz mortality coefficient (alpha) significantly influences tmax, with tmax varying inversely with alpha (tmax ∝ 1/alpha).
    • Observed tmax values for local populations closely matched model predictions, but "world record" tmax values showed discrepancies attributed to factors beyond population size, such as genotype, diet, and environment.

    Conclusions:

    • Maximum life span is more sensitive to changes in the rate of mortality acceleration than to population size.
    • Discrepancies in "world record" maximum life spans suggest the influence of unmeasured factors like genetics and environment.
    • Slowing age-related mortality acceleration is key to increasing human maximum life span; interventions like diet restriction in rats offer a potential model for human application.