Synonyms
Definition
Senescence refers to the progressive deterioration of function with increasing age, observable in various traits related to behavior, physiological functions, survival, and reproduction. The process is detectable both on the cellular and organismal level, and involves every major organ systems.
The term senescence is often used interchangeably with aging, although according to some authors, aging refers to the time-dependent accumulative changes (part of the underlying cause), while senescence is either the observable outcome (consequence) of aging or it refers to cellular senescence.
Introduction
Cellular senescence underlies organismal senescence. In general, cells cease to divide after a finite number of times and may or may not die. The number of senescent cells in tissues rises during aging. However, certain cell lines can divide infinitely. “Immortal” cells include most cell lines derived from tumors and...
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Szabó, D., Kubinyi, E. (2019). Senescence. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_549-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_549-1
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