Cognition

Recent Breakthroughs in Dementia and Cognitive Decline

Recent research has brought to light a few key factors that can significantly contribute to your risk of dementia. Here, we highlight some of the newest findings regarding dementia and cognitive decline.

A Healthy Brain Starts With a Healthy Heart: How Improving Your Heart Health Could Lower Your Risk of Dementia

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a team of researchers demonstrated that steps taken to improve heart health have the added benefit of lowering one’s risk of experiencing dementia or cognitive decline in late life. Using the seven heart health metrics defined by the American Heart Association, the team assessed a combination of modifiable health behaviors and biological components and their link to cognitive decline. According to the team’s findings, each individual parameter reduces the risk of developing dementia by 10 percent, for a total risk reduction of 70 percent if all metrics are kept in check.

Seven Steps to Improve Cardiovascular Health and Lower Dementia Risk

Eat a healthful diet.
Stay physically active.
Maintain a healthy weight and BMI.
Keep cholesterol levels under control.
Maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Reduce blood sugar levels.
Don’t smoke cigarettes.

While the authors admit the limitations of the study, it nevertheless demonstrates that steps taken to better heart health are strongly associated with a decreased risk of dementia and cognitive decline, and that addressing even one area positively impacts the risk of cognitive decline. INSERM’s Cécilia Samieri commented, “In practice, this objective appears more realistic, making it possible to reach a larger number of people and therefore have a greater impact. While health promotion is a collective challenge for public authorities and healthcare professionals, it also involves each individual taking ownership of their own health.”

Belly Fat Linked to Cognitive Decline: How Your Waist-to-Hip Ratio Impacts Your Brain

Bearing a direct impact on cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, a person’s body mass index (BMI) affects nearly all facets of cardiovascular health. In fact, obesity is one of the top risk factors for cardiovascular disease and, according to researchers from Trinity College in Dublin, cognitive decline as well. The study, which was published in the British Journal of Nutrition, examined the health data over more than five thousand Irish adults over the age of 60 and found that higher waist-to-hip ratios were associated with a decline in cognitive abilities.

With the number of obese people on the rise around the globe and the prevalence of dementia expected to increase to upwards of 80 million by the year 2040, these findings could have “significant implications” for many. Senior study author Conal Cunningham, an associate professor at Trinity College said in a press release, “While we have known for some time that obesity is associated with negative health consequences our study adds to emerging evidence suggesting that obesity and where we deposit our excess weight could influence our brain health. This has significant public health implications.”

How Pregnancy, Reproductive History, and Hormone Therapy Impact Cognitive Decline

New findings shared at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) drew attention to sex differences among dementia and Alzheimer’s patients over the lifespan. “More women than men have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias; almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women,” said Dr. Maria Carrillo, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Chief Science Officer. According to the 2018 Facts and Figures Report published by the Alzheimer’s Association, 3.4 million out of 5.5 million elderly Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Here are a few of the top findings on women’s health presented at this year’s conference.

A Woman’s Reproductive History is Linked to Dementia Risk

Researchers from Northern California investigating different facets of reproduction with regards to incurred dementia risk uncovered associations between the risk of dementia and numerous reproductive factors. “Possible causes of dementia in women, in particular reproductive factors, are not well understood,” explained Dr. Paola Gilsanz, a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research. “In our study, we aimed to identify female-specific risks and protective factors impacting brain health, which is critical to diminishing the disproportionate burden of dementia experienced by women.”

According to their findings:

Women who have had three or more children are 12 percent less likely to develop dementia when compared with women who have had only one child.
Each incidence of miscarriage increases the risk of dementia by 9 percent when compared to women who have had no miscarriages.
Women who started their first period at the age of 16 or older are 31 percent more at risk of dementia than those who have their first period at the average age of 13.
Women who experience the onset of natural menopause at the age of 45 or younger have a 28 percent greater risk of developing dementia when compared to women who naturally enter menopause after 45.
The length of a woman’s reproductive period averaged around 34 years. Women whose reproductive periods span 21 to 30 years in length are 33 percent more at risk of dementia when compared to women whose reproductive periods span between 38 to 44 years.

Pregnancy History Affects the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in Women

In order to investigate possible associations between Alzheimer’s risk and a woman’s reproductive history, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles collected pregnancy histories and measures of dementia symptoms and found that the cumulative months of pregnancy could serve as a “significant predictor” for the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. According to their data, women who spend 12.5 percent more months pregnant than an otherwise identical woman are 20 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The researchers believe that the body’s immune response during the first trimester of pregnancy may be the mechanism underlying the reduced risk.

“We are intrigued by the possibility that pregnancy may reorganize the mother’s body in ways that could protect her against developing Alzheimer’s later in life. These results also suggest that the story might not be so simple as being all about estrogen exposure, as previous researchers have suggested,” said Dr. Molly Fox, an assistant professor at UC Los Angeles.

Hormone Therapy is Not Always Linked to Cognitive Decline

Researchers reviewing recent studies regarding cognition and hormone therapy found that only under certain circumstances was hormone therapy associated with cognitive impairment. In particular:

Women who begin hormone therapy between the ages of 50 and 54 encountered no negative cognitive effects.
Women who start hormone therapy between the ages of 65 and 79, however, saw decreased cognition, impaired memory and reduced higher functioning.
Women with type 2 diabetes undergoing hormone therapy were found to have a higher risk of cognitive decline than either diabetic women not on hormone therapy or non-diabetic women who were on hormones.

Dr. Carey Gleason of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center commented, “These findings add to our understanding of the complex effects of hormones on the brain. These data are sorely needed to guide women’s healthcare during and after the menopausal transition and to help women make personalized and informed decisions regarding management of their menopausal symptoms and the prevention of future adverse health outcomes.”

A Woman’s Verbal Memory Advantage Could Mask the Earliest Stages of Alzheimer’s

Data suggests that, throughout the aging process, women possess an advantage when it comes to remembering words and verbal materials. Many of the current tests used for diagnosing Alzheimer’s rely on verbal memory and word recall, story recollection and other verbal items. Researchers hoping to form a better understanding of these sex differences in verbal memory in the aging brain found that, even though their brains presented moderate signs of Alzheimer’s degradation, women indeed maintained higher levels of cognitive performance in the earlier stages of the disease when compared to men, though the advantage diminished as the disease progressed.

“These findings may help to explain why women show a more rapid decline across a wide range of cognitive abilities after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While the female advantage may be functionally beneficial, it could mask early stages of Alzheimer’s, resulting in a more severe burden of disease at the time of diagnosis, with more rapid deterioration thereafter,” said Dr. Pauline Maki, Senior Research Director at the University of Illinois’s Center for Research on Women and Gender.

The use of diagnostic tests based upon gender improved the accuracy of diagnosis in both men and women, which suggests a need for further research into alternative diagnostic approaches.

Painkillers Used to Treat Chronic Pain in Dementia Patients Can Triple Harmful Side Effects

Also presented at this year’s AAIC were a pair of studies highlighting the effects of opioid painkillers in people living with dementia and the potential mechanisms underlying these effects.

Approximately half of dementia patients in care facilities live with “clinically significant pain,” which is often mismanaged or even undiagnosed. Researchers found that the opioid-based painkillers commonly used to treat pain increased the negative side effects — like confusion, lethargy, and mood swings — by threefold in dementia patients.

“Pain is a symptom that can cause huge distress and it’s important that we can provide relief to people with dementia. Sadly, at the moment, we’re harming people when we’re trying to ease their pain. We urgently need more research in this area, and we must get this dosing right. We need to establish the best treatment pathway and examine appropriate dosing for people with dementia,” commented the University of Exeter’s Professor of Age-Related Diseases, Clive Ballard.

While opioid painkillers are an effective treatment, dementia patients require smaller doses for pain relief and seem to more sensitive to negative side effects of the drugs. Research suggests that this may be because dementia patients’ bodies appear to overproduce its natural endogenous opioids.

B12 Deficiency: Are You in Danger?

Aug 07 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Vitamin B12, a part of the essential B-complex, is necessary for our bodies to create and repair DNA, red blood cells and nerves, as well as a whole host of other functions. New research out of Ireland illuminates the worrying magnitude of vitamin B12 deficiency among older populations.

Over the Age of 50? You’re More at Risk for B12 Deficiency

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin’s Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging have published new findings in the British Journal of Nutrition showing that a significant amount of people over the age of 50 are at risk of a deficiency in B12. The team analyzed data from over five thousand individuals across different provinces in Ireland and found that while there were variations in deficiency depending on variables such as locale, general health and lifestyle, as well as the time of year measured, overall, older adults are considerably more at risk of a vitamin B12 or folate (vitamin B9) deficiency.

Deficiencies in folate and B12 are associated with numerous health issues such as anemia, fatigue, headaches and memory impairment, especially in older populations. According to their data, one in eight Irish adults over the age of 50 are B12 deficient., while one out of every seven older adults is deficient in folate. Their findings demonstrated that low or deficient levels of B12 and folate increase with age and is also more common in those who are obese, smoke, or who live alone.

B12 deficiency isn’t quite as widespread in countries such as the United States where some foods are mandatorily fortified with folate and B12. The researchers hope their findings will help to develop new public health policies regarding vitamin and nutrient fortification. “The high rates of B-vitamin deficiency seen in the older adult population are of concern and, given that this can be easily treated with fortification, this has significant policy and practice implications for Government and health services,” Dr. Rose Anne Kenny, the Principal Investigator at TILDA said in a press release.

What is Vitamin B12 and What Does it Do?

B12 is one of the eight vitamins that make up the group of all-important B vitamins. It is the most “chemically complex” of all the vitamins and is critical for the normal functioning of our brains and nervous system. Every single cell in the human body depends on B12. Our bodies need it for the production of red blood cells as well as the reparation and creation of new tissue and DNA. It’s also essential for the processes of energy and fatty acid production.

Our bodies produce millions of red blood cells each minute. Red blood cells contain the protein hemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout our bodies and carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation. When B12 levels become too low, the body’s production of red blood cells decreases. If red blood cell count drops too low, anemia develops and brings with it a slew of health complications, some severe and potentially irreversible.

Signs and Symptoms of a B12 Deficiency

Even slightly lower levels of B12 can trigger symptoms such as depression, brain fog and fatigue in individuals. Loss of appetite, constipation and rapid weight loss can also occur. The lower B12 levels drop and the longer the deficiency goes on, neurological issues, such as numb and tingling extremities or motor skill and balance issues, are likely to develop.

A long-term deficiency carries a significant risk of permanent brain and nerve damage. B12 deficiency has been known to put some people at a higher risk of mental health issues such as dementia, mania or psychosis. A B12 deficiency also impacts immune response and can increase susceptibility to infection or disease. Long-term deficiency leads to the onset of anemia, which may be accompanied by any number of symptoms:

extreme fatigue or lack of energy
muscular weakness
shortness of breath
irregular heartbeat and palpitations
unexplained weight loss
jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
chronic constipation or diarrhea
a sore tongue or mouth ulcers
vision disturbances
memory decline
problems understanding and making judgments
brain fog or feelings of confusion

What to do About a B12 Deficiency

Because a deficiency has the capability of causing irreversible damage, it’s critical to identify and treat a B12 or folate deficiency as soon as possible. The symptoms that arise from a B12 deficiency may also be indicative of other serious conditions, therefore, if you think that you are deficient in B12 or folate, it’s extremely important that you speak with a healthcare professional.

How Much B12 Do You Need and Where Can You Find It?

The United States National Institutes of Health recommends that anyone over the age of 14 years old should ingest at least 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of B12 each day. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding are encouraged to consume a bit more, 2.6 mcg and 2.8 mcg respectively.

The only organisms that naturally produce B12 are a few particular strains of bacteria and archaea. No naturally-occurring vegetable sources of the vitamin exist, putting vegetarians and vegans at a higher risk of deficiency than non-vegetarians. The richest sources of vitamin B12 are animal products such as milk, eggs and meats (beef, pork, poultry, lamb), fish, seafood/shellfish, nutritional yeast and fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and nutritional beverages.

Some medications, like metformin, which is a diabetes medication, and certain peptic ulcer treatments, as well as some antibiotics are known to interfere with the body’s ability to absorb B12 properly, and therefore, supplementation may be necessary.

Weight Loss: Brain Structure Could Predict Dieting Success or Failure

Jul 23 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

People who give in to their cravings are often seen as lacking willpower, with the inability to easily tame impulses commonly viewed as a character flaw, but this line of thinking assumes we all have the same ability to exercise self-control, and according to new research, that may not be the case. The results of a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, show that the grey matter volume in two particular brain regions serves as a predictor as to whether a person will reach for more a healthy or more unwholesome choice, suggesting that our self-control is strongly tied to genetics.

The Neuroeconomics of Diet: “Brain Scans and Dietary Plans”

According to models in the growing field of neuroeconomics, which studies the underlying brain functions behind the decision-making process, how we choose the food we eat depends on two mechanisms. First, we value the food item based on attributes like healthfulness and taste. Then, we choose the food with the highest overall value after we consider the importance or weight of each attribute. In order to investigate whether brain structure could predict whether a person would make a healthier choice during this process, researchers examined the dietary choices and brain imaging data of participants during the decision-making process over the course of four experiments.

Throughout the study, researchers observed the brain images and decision-making of a total of 123 participants, 45 men and 78 women. In the first three experiments, the participants were placed inside of an fMRI scanner and shown pictures of food items ranging from items such as Brussels sprouts to cookies. They were asked how much they wanted each food, with answers ranging from a strong yes to a strong no, and told to make their choice based on either what their usual preference would be, by focusing on the palatability of the food or by considering its healthfulness.

In the fourth experiment, the researchers did not supply any specific decision-making criteria. The participants were instructed to either choose to “indulge” or “distance” themselves from the food based on their taste-based cravings or to simply choose as they normally would. The participants were asked to choose the price point they would pay to eat the food at the end of the experiment, with amounts ranging from $0.00 to $2.50. The outcomes of the fourth trial were used to confirm the other experiments.

Participants fasted for four hours before the trials began. Before starting, they were informed that at the end of the study, they would be able to eat one of the items from the study, which would be chosen at random from all the foods rated. If by chance the randomly selected item was one that the participant had rated as not wanting, then they would not receive it. At the end of the study, the participants even paid the self-chosen prices for the food they received.

Throughout the trials, grey matter volume in two particular brain regions could serve as a predictor for self-control. The results of their study show for the first time that differences in the neuroanatomy of these regions can influence a person’s ability to make wise eating choices.

Researchers Find Brain Structure May Predict Dieting Success or Failure

The team analyzed the participants’ brain imaging data along with their food choices and found that the grey matter volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) could predict each participant’s ability to focus on health and not think about taste when told to do so. Those with denser grey matter volume in these two regions displayed more dietary self-control and were more likely to make the healthier choice.

According to the authors of the study, there is some debate among neuroscientists regarding which of these regions is the one that is primarily responsible for self-control. Widely linked to cognition, memory and emotional regulation, many experts believe that the dlPFC only actually comes in to play when attempts to resist impulses are successful. Generally, the vmPFC region is thought to be more heavily involved in decision-making and the process of valuation.

“Pinning down how the two regions interact to influence self-control was outside the scope of our study. It is a matter for future researchers to investigate. However, my personal theory, based on past research findings using functional rather than structural brain imaging techniques, is that the vmPFC is involved in the integration of various attributes such as healthiness and tastiness into a holistic value signal, and the dlPFC implements the self-control,” said Hilke Plassmann, INSEAD Chaired Professor of Decision Neuroscience and co-author of the study.

Neuroplasticity: Neurofeedback Therapies for Obesity and Eating Disorders

While we may have a genetic predisposition to make certain choices, the authors note that the structure of the brain can be changed based on use and other circumstances. According to the authors, grey matter is “like a muscle that can be developed with exercise.”

“Our findings do not imply that there are biologically predetermined limits on people’s self-control. The structure of brain regions can change based on use as well as a host of other circumstances, an adaptive capacity known as ‘neuroplasticity’,” said Plassmann.

The researchers believe that neurofeedback exercise techniques could be used as a potential therapy for those looking to improve eating habits. “In the future, we may be able to come up with brain-based interventions, so that you can change the grey matter density in these regions,” says Plassmann.

Furthermore, the team’s research could be a first step in better assessing and treating eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and binge eating, which are linked to dysfunctional self-control. The team’s findings could also serve as a potential method for diagnosing at-risk patients.

“It is not always very clear how to assess these disorders. The field of psychiatry is currently searching for more biological markers in addition to their existing methods. A certain pattern of brain structure could potentially be one of those markers,” said Plassmann.

Study co-author Liane Schmidt adds, “we can also use this to characterize people who might be at risk for eating disorders. Diagnosing cases of obesity, for example, is usually straightforward. But structural brain scans could potentially help to prevent obesity by identifying overweight people whose underdeveloped self-control puts them at risk of becoming obese later in life.”

Mood-Boosting Neurotransmitter Serotonin Enhances Learning Speed

Jul 12 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

According to new data from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU) and University College London (UCL), the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a vital role in the learning process, helping to speed learning. Researchers believe this explains why selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are more effective when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

The Different Roles of Serotonin

Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is one of the major chemicals that nerves use for communication. It impacts every part of our bodies, but there is still much about the neurotransmitter and its many roles that is relatively unknown. Neuroscientists have long pursued an integrated theory as to exactly what serotonin does within the body and brain, but pinning down all of serotonin’s functions is a challenge.

Most commonly associated with mood regulation, we know that serotonin plays a variety of other key roles throughout the body. Around 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is actually located within the gastrointestinal tract, where it helps to regulate intestinal motility. Serotonin is also stored within blood platelets, acting as a vasoconstrictor during the clotting process. The rest of the body’s serotonin is synthesized by the central nervous system, where it aids in the regulation of appetite, behavior, mood, and sleep.

Previous research has linked serotonin with memory and neuroplasticity. This newest study supports those findings and provides further insight into serotonin’s effect on cognitive function.

Serotonin Enhances Learning Speed

In this latest study on the well-known neurotransmitter, researchers conducted a series of mice trials in which they observed that when serotonin neurons were artificially activated via light, an emerging technique referred to as optogenetics, the mice were quicker to adapt their behavior.

According to Zach Mainen, one of the study’s lead authors, “the study found that serotonin enhances the speed of learning. When serotonin neurons were activated artificially, using light, it made mice quicker to adapt their behavior in a situation that required such flexibility. That is, they gave more weight to new information and therefore changed their minds more rapidly when these neurons were active.”

To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers observed how mice reacted in a basic learning task where the goal was for the mice to get water from one of two sources. According to study co-author Madalena Fonseca of the CCU, “animals were placed in a chamber where they had to poke either a water-dispenser on their left side or one on their right, which, with a certain probability, would then dispense water, or not.”

The amount of water released and which dispenser it was released from was randomized so that the mice would need to continually adapt their strategy. In some of the trials, the researchers used the optogenetics technique to artificially boost serotonin release. Analyzing the data using a computational model developed by study co-author Kiyohito Iigaya of UCL, the team observed that the mice seemed to exhibit two distinct approaches to decision making depending on how quickly they made their choice.

Working Memory and Long-Term Memory: Two Different Learning Strategies

According to Iigaya, “To our surprise, we found that animals’ choice behavior was generated from two distinctive decision systems. On most trials, choice was driven by a ‘fast system’, where the animals followed a win-stay-lose-switch strategy. But on a small number of the trials, we found that this simple strategy didn’t explain the animals’ choices at all.”

It was this smaller subset of trials that revealed serotonin’s effect on the decision-making process. “Serotonin is always enhancing learning from reward, but this effect is only apparent on a subset of the animals’ choices,” said CCU co-author Masayoshi Murakami.

In the faster system, the mice relied on their working or short-term memory. However, when the interval between trials was longer, the mice utilized their long-term memory of all previous trials. According to their data, serotonin boosted learning from the history of all past rewards, but only affected the choices that were made during these longer intervals.

Iigaya explains, “on these trials, we instead found that animals followed their ‘slow system,’ in which it was the reward history over many trials, and not only the most recent trials, that affected their choices. Moreover, serotonin affected only these latter choices, in which the animal was following the slow system.”

The team believes that their findings may explain why SSRIs, which is a type of antidepressant that increases serotonin levels, is significantly more effective when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a form of therapy. The authors state, “our results suggest that serotonin boosts [brain] plasticity by influencing the rate of learning. This resonates, for instance, with the fact that treatment with an SSRI can be more effective when combined with so-called cognitive behavioral therapy, which encourages the breaking of habits in patients.

Serotonin and Memory: New Insights May Lead to Future Therapies for Cognitive Decline

May 18 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

In the United States alone, over 16 million people live with some form of cognitive impairment. While age is the greatest risk factor, with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia being the leading causes, cognitive decline bears no limitation to any specific demographic. Conditions such as brain injury, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia and stroke are all known to be accompanied by signs of cognitive impairment. Recent research into the relationship between the hippocampus, serotonin, and memory has begun to shed light on why this may be and may provide a pathway for future therapies.

The Hippocampus, Serotonin, and Memory

As a part of the limbic system — the regions of the brain associated with emotion, learning, memory and motivation — the hippocampus has long been implicated in our ability to learn and store memories. Previously published research demonstrated that persons with damage to the CA1 region of their hippocampus experienced extreme impairment in both autobiographical and episodic memory as well as difficulty with place learning. In patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus is usually one of the first areas of the brain to show signs of damage.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) bears a great influence on the hippocampus. Mounting evidence suggests that serotonin may play a vital role in learning and memory formation. According to earlier research published in Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers found that serotonin disruption interfered with memory recall. In a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, researchers found that individuals with cognitive impairment had less serotonin and performed lower on verbal memory tests.

Even though a link seems apparent, the exact relationship between the hippocampus, serotonin and memory has not been completely understood. Previous research has left it unclear whether serotonin’s effects on learning and memory were due to the role of serotonin itself in relation to memory or to whether it influenced behavioral or emotional aspects that could affect memory. In a study that was recently published in the journal Neuron, researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) examined the role of serotonin in the hippocampus in the hopes of gaining more insight into this connection.

Serotonin Is Necessary for Memory Formation

In order to gain a better understanding of serotonin’s function within the hippocampus and how it relates to memory and learning, the team used a technique called optogenetics. Optogenetics makes use of pulses of light to either stimulate or inhibit neuronal activity. The researchers used this technique to essentially turn the receptors on and off in order to study the various serotonin pathways in the hippocampal CA1 region.

In their experimentat, the team discovered that as serotonin levels increased, neuronal communication within the CA1 region was strengthened, and as a byproduct, there was a marked improvement in spatial memory. Conversely, when serotonin release was inhibited and serotonin levels lowered, neuronal communication declined, and spatial memory was significantly impaired. The team believes this to demonstrate that serotonin not only boosts learning ability and memory, but it is actually a necessary component for memory formation to occur in the first place.

New Insights on Serotonin and Memory Pinpoint Crucial Receptor

With this connection revealed, the researchers set out to determine exactly which specific class of serotonin receptor was involved in learning and memory. According to CUIMC research scientist Catia Teixeria, Ph.D., “First, we found that when serotonin is released from its endogenous pools within the hippocampus during learning, memory of the learned event is strengthened. We then reasoned that by identifying a dominant involvement for one type of serotonin receptor, we could test drug treatments on memory performance. Indeed, we found that systemic modulation of 5-HT4 receptor function with drugs enhanced memory formation.”

The team’s findings regarding the specific serotonin receptor 5-HT4 echo earlier research that identified the receptor’s significance to memory. One previous study showed the 5-HT4 receptors to influence spatial learning and memorization in rats, and in another study, 5-HT4 receptor levels were accurate predictors of memory test performance in human participants.

Brain Enhancement Drugs May One Day Be a Reality

This breakthrough discovery may very well pave the way for future pharmacological solutions that could both boost memory, improve learning deficits, and aid in combating the effects of cognitive decline that accompany age, Alzheimer’s disease, depression and schizophrenia. According to the senior author of the study, Mark Ansorge, Ph.D., “Our data reveal the powerful modulatory influence of serotonin on hippocampal function and memory formation, and they support the rationale to target 5-HT4 receptors for pharmacotherapy of cognitive impairment.”

Resveratrol Proven to Slow Brain and Muscle Aging

May 04 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Resveratrol is powerful phytoalexin, a group of naturally occurring antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds produced by plants, that can be found in red wine, raw cacao, pistachios, peanuts, and dark berries such as red grapes, blueberries and muscadines. Like other antioxidants, resveratrol can help the body to fight and repair cellular damage.

Research over the past decade has indicated that resveratrol could promote heart health and may also possess anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Adding to its growing list of health benefits, a recent batch of studies suggests that resveratrol may repair and protect from damage to both muscle fibers and neural synapses brought upon by aging.

According to Dr. Gregorio Valdez, assistant professor at Virginia Tech and author of one such study, “we all slow down as we get older. Gait, balance issues, and impaired motor coordination contribute to health problems, accidents, lack of mobility and a lower quality of life. We work on identifying molecular changes that slow down motor deficits that occur with aging. I believe that we are getting closer to tapping into mechanisms to slow age-induced degeneration of neuronal circuits.”

Resveratrol Promotes Healthy Aging of Muscle Fibers

After reaching middle age, most adults will begin to lose an average of three percent of their muscle mass, strength and endurance each year. This age-related decline in muscular function referred to as sarcopenia greatly affects quality of life and may decrease life expectancy. According to recent research, resveratrol may both repair and protect against such muscular degeneration.

Regular exercise helps slow the loss of muscle mass but may also lead to muscle damage and joint pain in an already stressed body. Resveratrol has been shown in numerous studies to ease joint pain, reduce inflammation and repair the cartilage breakdown associated with arthritis. A new study out of Australia shows resveratrol is also beneficial in this way to the skeletal muscles. The team’s findings echo other research exhibiting how the administration of resveratrol greatly increases aerobic performance and both prevents and repairs damage to muscles that results from exercising.

Reduced blood flow due to age can be both a symptom of and contributing factor to muscular decline. A study led by researchers from Harvard and published in Cell found that resveratrol activates the same genes that normally respond to diet and exercise, healing the vascular system, improving blood flow and increasing endurance in elderly mice.

Muscle atrophy, a partial or complete wasting away of muscle tissue, can result from sarcopenia, inactivity, as well as neuromuscular disease. A research paper recently published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences examined the adaptive changes in muscles after inducing sciatic nerve damage in mice that were fed either a normal diet or a resveratrol-supplemented diet. Their research showed that resveratrol “significantly prevents” muscle atrophy.

Resveratrol Protects the Brain From the Effects of Aging

Skeletal muscles aren’t the only form of atrophy that resveratrol may prevent. Cerebral atrophy and the degradation of neuronal synapses are typical effects of the aging process and can ultimately lead to cognitive decline and memory problems as well as provoke interference with the body’s ability to deal with stress. Research shows resveratrol possesses several significant neuroprotective benefits.

Previous research has indicated that proper diet and exercise can help to neuronal synapses from the typical wear and tear of aging. In one study published in The Journals of Gerontology, researchers discovered that resveratrol has many of the same neuroprotective benefits of combining a low-calorie diet with regular exercise.

Other studies also seem to suggest that resveratrol may help to slow down age-related cognitive decline, protecting from and repairing damage done to the brain. Several studies indicate that the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol may make it a useful therapy for those suffering from cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Valdez concludes that for researchers, “the next step is to identify the mechanism that enables resveratrol to protect synapses. If we know the mechanism, we can modify resveratrol or look for other molecules that are more effective at protecting the synapses.”

Don’t Raise Your Wine Glass Just Yet

While resveratrol shows great potential, experts do caution that because of the relatively low concentrations of resveratrol found in food sources such as wine, people would not likely see the same massive neuroprotective benefits exhibited in the mice studies.

According to Valdez, “in wine, resveratrol is in such small amounts you could not drink enough of it in your life to have the benefits we found in mice given resveratrol. These studies are in mice and I would caution anyone from blasting their bodies with resveratrol in any form.”