spook haploinsufficiency exacerbates aging-related motor impairments

The global rise in aging populations heightens the risk of motor decline, reducing quality of life and increasing morbidities, yet aging-related motor impairments (AMI) remain poorly understood. Many steroid hormones synthesized by cytochrome P450 enzymes decline with aging but their role in AMI is unclear. Here we show that <i>spook</i> heterozygous flies with reduced brain ecdysone exhibit accelerated, aging-related declines in climbing performance in a stimulus-induced negative geotaxis assay, without affecting basal activity. These findings implicate ecdysone signaling as a critical regulator of aging-sensitive motor function and suggest a conserved steroid pathway contributing to AMI across species.