Elizabeth Bae

Abstract The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is a promising geroscience model due to its short lifespan, age-associated functional decline, and responsiveness to geroprotective drugs. Continuous rapamycin, acarbose, and phenylbutyrate extends lifespan, but short-term effects remain unknown. We tested 274 sex-matched crickets given each drug for two weeks starting at 8-weeks (mid-age), with testing at 10-weeks (older adult) for olfactory discrimination, exploration, and treadmill performance.

Abstract Aging alters morphology and locomotor function in diverse organisms, yet standardized model systems for studying these changes remain limited to a relatively few species. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of age- and sex-dependent morphological variations in house crickets (Acheta domesticus), integrating refined husbandry protocols to enhance reproducibility and translational relevance.