Excessive Brain Activity Linked to Shorter Life Span

Merin Porter
Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin
edited October 2020 in Other News

"The brain’s neural activity — long implicated in disorders ranging from dementia to epilepsy — also plays a role in how long we live.

The study, led by scientists in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and based on findings from human brains, mice, and worms, suggests that excessive activity in the brain is linked to shorter life spans, while suppressing overactivity can extend life.

Neural activity refers to the constant flicker of electrical currents and transmissions in the brain. Excessive activity, or excitation, could manifest in numerous ways, from a muscle twitch to a change in mood or thought, according to the researchers.

“An intriguing aspect of our findings is that something as transient as the activity state of neural circuits could have such far-ranging consequences for physiology and life span,” said study senior author Dr. Bruce Yankner, a professor of genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging.

Neural excitation appears to act along a chain of molecular events famously known to influence longevity — the insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway, the researchers explain.

The key in this signaling cascade appears to be a protein called REST, previously shown by researchers in the Yankner Lab to protect aging brains from dementia and other stresses.

Study results could lead to the design of new therapies for conditions that involve neural overactivity, such as Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder, the researchers said.

The findings also raise the possibility that certain medicines, such as drugs that target REST, or certain behaviors, such as meditation, could extend life span by modulating neural activity, they said....."

https://psychcentral.com/news/2019/10/20/excessive-brain-activity-linked-to-shorter-life-span/151156.html

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh, oh, I am toast! My brain is always running and meditation is not my thing.

    My brain rest is achieving the flow state while working, crafting, observing nature, etc. I also shift gears well when reading escapist literature for fun.

    Oh well, if I have to go out early at least I was doing something.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    LOL @shllnzl - You are very Bright Not giving that ^ "research" a second thought. -

    And for anybody else who judges this as an 'ignorant'-response, all you need do is LOOK intelligently at how most research is worded:

    using words like "implicated, & "plays a role", & findings, & SUGGEST, & LINKED, & could, & Could, & COULD ((lol)), & study senior author ... , a professor of genetics, & ... aging", & excessive, & APPEARS to act, & "famously known to influence", & "researchers explain...", & CONCLUDED, & "raise the possibility that certain drugs", & "behaviors, such as meditation", COULD ((here's that 'could' for the umpteenth time)) extend life span"

    And as far as excessive ?, at least they got that part right, as in That ^^ research is yet Another ! example of How NONSENSE becomes excessive... lol

    iow, the reason anybody get's Away with such Nonsense, is that most people will read that ^, & "scientists" know HOW TO TRANCE people out, such that by the time the average person has read the entire gobble-dee-gook, they have allowed themselves to >>BELIEVE whatever nonsense<< they are spoon-fed..., over & over ad nauseaum.

    BUT

    SCIENTISTS, (& people who quite happily pay for any research), have to this day NO Definitive answer to "how many cells are in a human, that actually are human ?". - Want proof ?????

    They START their answers with "About, & approximately, & comparative modeling, & come up with, & estimate, & guesstimate... LOL - there are anywhere from (are you ready? @silvertipgrizz ) "33 🤩Trillion to 725 🤩 Trillion". WOW, isn't that GUESS-work spread Spectacular 🤩...

    iow, to this very day in 2019, SCIENCE continues guesstimating... ONLY about 'how many cells?' --

    YET they are trying to tell (or more Accurately said) Bamboozle the general public with Anything... re Genetics OR Health OR Longevity ???? ---- By now, the average Intelligent person Knows... scientists remain a 'Laughing stock'.

    okay @shllnzl & @silvertipgrizz - your Turn again ... LOL

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    oh, & one more thing : https://psychcentral.com/news/2019/10/20/excessive-brain-activity-linked-to-shorter-life-span/151156.html " PSYCH-central " < that tells you everything, right there, lol

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow You did a brilliant analysis of that article. I too am starting to look for non-conclusive, generalized, non scientific phrases in articles that are meant to be read as headlines and believed without analysis.

    If all that info about thinking was true, I would still say so what -- the brain is meant to be active (as is the rest of us.)

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow

    lol...

    Well, before I am fit to comment, I must go back and read it again....

    As my brother would say to me: I'll get back to you on that lol rof...

    I did scan over your comment though and already know I agree with you on some of it. I'm not sure I agree with much at all on the article, and over all I am not too impressed with anything Harvard does. But just sometimes, one can find some truth in even the least of places. And if nothing else, a lesson of the importance of always continuing the search for truth for some truth's come in pieces amongst the ever expansive fog of untruth.

    On that note though, I just found an article I can't wait to share. I do believe what they are saying however I have not had a chance to research into the keynote of the entire piece yet. If it is true, everyone must know it.

    Soon to come.

    Rainbow, how do I down load a picture? I want to send a few pictures of some things I have grown and tell a little about what I learned about them, and some questions regarding some others of what I have grown.

    When and if you have time.

    Right now I am more interested in 2 things:

    your alpha on sugar, and

    your take on Vit K2? the reason?

    because a vast amount of my research has shown me that to take vit d3/ie over the counter as you know, one must also take k2, not k1 to keep calcium from staying in the circulation with resultant arterial/heart disease.

    However, just in the past month I found an article that stated that the body makes k2 in the the presence of k1 and I think it said vit D....

    Anyway, your thoughs when you have time.

    TAG, your it

    🤣

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin


    @Merin Porter this is awesome. I am a regular meditator - especially since the kids are 'grown' and mostly out and about. Yup, I have a difficult time 'turning it off', but when I can it's so nice. Glad to see the science behind it. BTW, I've started palying with a biofeedback machine called the Muse2 which so far, I really like. I'll post updates and maybe a product review.

    Thanks for posting this.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin


    ao @rainbow after that rant.. I can't tell what your topinion on this is. Pesonally I've found tremendous ehalign from meditaiton and the power of intention. In order to really activate the pwoer of intention you need to quiet your mind and focus on what youa re asking to manifest. It's extremely difficult to manifest anything with a 'busy' mind..

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    I wish the article would have explained exactly what it means by excessive activity- worrying, analyzing, marathon daydreaming...(if its the last one than I'm at death's door). Is it even talking about conscious thought or about all the other stuff the brain does? When I hear "active brain" I assume we mean someone is thinking alot- but I don't think that's what the article was about. I would have liked it to be more specific.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl - Thank you for understanding... both the gyst & the gist (the most important pieces of information about something) of what I described. - And, Because it is quite obvious... that generally most people have not yet made some essential Paradigm shifts, they then also do not understand what is actually going on. - So for general benefit, I took the time to further explain, in great detail... How to interpret, ie easily Recognize when any supposed "scientific" assertions are, in fact more nonsense.

    Tho I would not go so far as to call what I did in this discussion "brilliant". - While I did write in college, & have since had quite a number of analyses described as brilliant, - what I explained above really falls under mostly 'Common sense' for those people who do understand... Yet thank you for acknowledging that I know what I am talking about. Such individuals are unfortunately rare.

    Most others would call such, plus quite a few other understandings, 'rants'.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz Re your observation re Harvard: "not sure I agree with much at all on the article, and over all I am not too impressed with anything Harvard does." - Good for you.

    Is that because you also know ? the unsavory history of Harvard's Secular Humanism as a direct outgrowth of Harvard's Unitarian philosophy.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz Re your "Rainbow, how do I down load a picture?" ... Well, like me too often, that's OFF-topic, but as far as I know, you can Either:

    1.in your Reply-box, Click on the 2nd icon (to the right of the Smiley-library), & that will Open to all the Images you've stored on your device. OR

    2.You can Click in your computer on a FILE storing all your Images (in mine are 1+Gb) & it will also Open to all the Images you've stored on your device. -- To bring this back ON Topic, I have in my HUMOR-file 1 image of a >>>White-dog sitting YOGA-style supposedly Meditating... with the caption "Can't you see I'm busy"<<< (LOL). -- However, since we both got voted-Down the most recent time we tried to share... a little Innocent HUMOR around here, - mostly I am just posting my own photos in my https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/841832/continuing-rainbows/p2 Hopefully that will stay SAFE from being "voted-Down". - Most people understand that anyone ( like me already suffering from "Anxiety Atrial fibrillation", the last thing they need is for others in some online forum to make them even MORE Anxious. - OR

    3.in your Reply-space, Click on the 4th. icon & it will also Open to all the Images you've stored on your device, which you then Click on, & make sure the image is something like 800 pixels or less per Forum rules, before you post it.

    4.Other choices may exist, but since I only use #2, don't know how else you could possibly do it. - Generally speaking, Computer-knowledge is not one of my skills, obviously.

    Surely the Admin. Technology wizards in here can help you further 🙂

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭

    We can worry ourselves to death is how I interpret the article. A long time practitioner of meditation, I understand the advantages of quieting the busy mind. At times, the same peace can be found in the quiet of nature. How easy it is to be "one" with the task when one is working with our Mother Earth. (Science discovered what we gardeners have already known-LOL.)

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭


    @rainbow

    Hi Rainbow,

    Thanks for the help. I want to send pix of the Takane Red Buckwheat I grew. It is so pretty and you can make tea out of it. I just hope it doesn't freeze tonight cause it is now snowing in our panhandle apparently.

    I also want to share some pix of the maters I grew last summer. Among them 'black elephant' and Paul Robeson.

    As soon as I get a chance I'll take a look at your pix. I'm still working on my outside cat's shelter. Trying to improve on the original design.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow

    Yes for all those things, but in particular, recently i saw that gates is giving money to harvard to 'kill carbon dioxide'..... what do they think we all breath, sulfur or something?

    Decrease co2 means trees die means we die. They know that.

    Disclaimer..... had to switch keyboards, the other one kept sticking..... this one is too small or my fingers are too fat lol. Just in case I miss a few typos, that would prolly be why til I get used to this one.

  • Jannajo
    Jannajo Posts: 173 ✭✭✭

    Quite the article....Harvard, is it? We all know about u, Harvard, 'so-called science', right? With good ground, C02 enters easily, we r all saved ! From certain death! Voila!

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin


    @Marjory Wildcraft that's what I really got out of that article, too -- the value of meditation, prayer, and other activities where we shut down our busy minds. It actually makes me think of the ancient Hebrew tradition of having a strict day of rest once per week. Maybe they were on to something!

    As @merlin44 said, it probably has something to do with excessive worrying, too.

    And I agree that all studies have to be read with our critical thinking skills engaged. But I did find this article interesting....

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @Merin Porter I believe it is wise to have a day of rest (It doesn't matter which, but It should be consistent). For the Hebrew people, it encompassed from sundown on Friday evening to sundown on the Saturday evening (so really into the next morning too). The exception was that they still needed to do the true essentials of caring for their livestock and attending to their dependents. This practice was based on Creation, where God worked six days & then rested on the 7th.

    It is interesting to study their agricultural practices too, by the way.

    Many old cultures have a period of rest. We would all do well to "legislate" a day into our week to recuperate.

    If planned out well, pre-preparing food, doing certain chores as prep the day before, and so on could give a true day of rest. We certainly need a day like this to rest our body & mind. I believe It is essential to life.