Aging Diagram


The Project “Human Aging System Diagram” (HASD) developed by the Research Center of Advanced Technologies (Moscow, Russia) is designed to develop a high-quality scientific model of human aging, represented in a visual form. We suggest that the final result of our activities will be the diagram comprising the following system information verified by the world leading experts:

  • basic age-specific processes at various organization levels,
  • cause-and-effect relations between processes,
  • qualitative transitions in the cascade of processes.

Human Aging System Diagram version 62.0
Interactive web version. Please view in Google Chrome, Opera, or Internet Explorer version 10 or higher.

The Scientific Principles

  1. The Diagram describes the human aging process. Aging processes characteristic of other species, are not included therein. However, necessary data obtained from experiments on laboratory animals and extralopated to man is included.
  2. The diagram of aging is a process diagram. Its elements are various processes that are limited in time and cause various changes to organism state.
  3. The elements are connected with causal links.
  4. The Diagram describes the aging processes

    from the prime causes (top) - the natural processes that underlie aging, through disturbances in normal organism functioning, decrease of various physiological parameters to age-related pathologies and death (bottom).

  5. Processes are arranged along the "age axis" (from 20 to 70+ top-down)
  6. The diagram does not represent feedback loops at this stage. It allows to simplify the diagram and make clearer visualisation of casual links. More
  7. The diagram should provide the required detalization of ageing process at the organs level. The detalization degree is defined by the processes logic and the requirement of a high-quality description of aging.
  8. The Diagram should describe and not model aging processes. Particularly, the Diagram is distinct from a computer model. At the current Project stage we do not intend to enter numeric values.
  9. The Diagram is not a map of metabolic pathways.
  10. Other diagrams, classifications and descriptions can supplement and specify the basic Diagram.

The current version neither represents the scientific consensus, nor the diversity of opinions on ageing. Many areas do require further detalization. We welcome additions to the diagram, as well as individual researchers’ participation in our Project. The current version of HASD proposes new visualisation of aging. It could be considered as the hydraulic network that allows water to flow down under its own weight. It fills the system and reaches the lower point. Development of aging processes, activation of additional aging factors and manifestation of new effects occurs under the influence of the upper causes that trigger destructive processes. This influence is represented as water. When water reaches the lower end of the diagram, person dies or becomes terminal.

Diagram shows that aging can be stopped by slowing down disturbance from upper causes and preventing an activation of lower elements. Hydraulic analogy means that water should be drained and flow must be prevented.

HASD diagram, version № 61.2

The aging process is complicated but we presume that it can still be comprehensively described on a large list of paper. In other words, it seems that 500 or 800 blocks will suffice to describe aging process in general. At the same time, we can easily divide this Diagram into several interrelated diagrams at any moment. Out approach will be dictated by ease of perception requirements.

 

Download Human Aging System Diagram in various formats:

Version 62.0 PDF JPEG SVG Web version
(light web version)
See all newer versions at HASD Vault

Previous versions:

Tools

We developed custom visualization software for the HASD project.

Previous versions were created using various tools including Microsoft Visio. Prior to summer 2011 we used CMAP Tools.