The link between acquaporins and dementia / Science & Brain Health

Serious brain injuries and dementia are affected by the flow of water through a protein called aquaporin-4 in brain cell membranes.

Aquaporins are responsible for clearing the build-up of waste products in brain cells in a process Professor Bill likens to a ‘dishwasher for your brain’.

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is one of the most abundant molecules in the brain and is particularly prevalent in astrocytic membranes at the blood-brain and brain-liquor interfaces. While AQP4 has been implicated in a number of pathophysiological processes, its role in brain physiology has remained elusive.

Aquaporins (AQP) are integral membrane proteins that serve as channels in the transfer of water, and in some cases, small solutes across the membrane. They are conserved in bacteria, plants, and animals. Structural analyses of the molecules have revealed the presence of a pore in the centre of each aquaporin molecule.

The aquaporins (AQPs) are plasma membrane water-transporting proteins. AQP4 is the principal member of this protein family in the CNS, where it is expressed in astrocytes and is involved in water movement, cell migration and neuroexcitation.

Taking Statins and your brain.

10 Apr 2024

• Professor Roslyn Bill discusses her research into brain cell membranes with Dr Matt Derry
• Serious brain injuries and dementia are affected by the flow of water through a protein called aquaporin-4 in brain cell membranes
• Aquaporins are responsible for clearing the build-up of waste products in brain cells in a process Professor Bill likens to a ‘dishwasher for your brain’.

Professor Roslyn Bill, co-founder of Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), joins Dr Matt Derry to discuss her research into brain cell membranes in the latest Aston Originals podcast.

Water moves in and out of brain cells through tiny protein channels in the cell membrane called aquaporins. One in particular, aquaporin-4, is the focus of Professor Bill’s research.

In 2020, she was lead author on a paper published in prestigious journal Cell on how the channels open and close and how this can be controlled. Uncontrolled water entry into brain cells can occur after head trauma, causing swelling which leads to severe brain injuries of the type suffered by racing driver Michael Schumacher after a skiing accident. Finding drugs to control this water movement could lead to treatments to prevent brain swelling in the first place.

This research into brain swelling and the contribution of aquaporins led Professor Bill to research into Alzheimer’s, a common form of dementia, which is also related to the action of aquaporins. Alzheimer’s is caused by a build-up of waste products in brain cells. In a process Professor Bill likened to a ‘dishwasher for your brain’, aquaporins are responsible for clearing this waste as we sleep.

Professor Bill was selected for an Advanced Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) in 2023, which is being funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The funded project will further investigate the process, and whether it might be possible to develop a drug to boost the ‘brain dishwasher’, which could be taken to slow or even prevent cognitive decline due to ageing.

Bringing together this biological research with the polymer research of AIME, chemists like Dr Derry will help in the drug development and could also lead to totally different applications.

Professor Bill said in the podcast to Dr Derry:

“We can take the knowledge that we have of how these proteins work in cells and try and apply them to interesting applications in biotechnology. And this is where the sort of work that you (Dr Derry) do comes in, where you can develop plastic membranes, polymer membranes, and then take learning from the biology and try and make really, really good ways of purifying water, for example.”

For more information about AIME and open positions, visit https://tinyurl.com/2ufttvsa Professor Roslyn Bill – http://tinyurl.com/38rbrzds Dr Matt Derry – http://tinyurl.com/55vv43ee

Aerobic exercise rejuvenates your heart and can reverse 20years in you ageing process / Epigenetics

15 Mar 2024

Vigorous exercise (defined as more than 80% max heart rate) has unique benefits when it comes to heart ageing, reducing blood pressure, and killing circulating tumour cells. In this video, expect to learn: • The exercise protocol that reduced heart ageing by 20 years in 50-year-olds •

Why vigorous aerobic exercise has drug-sized effects on blood pressure • The brain health benefits of lactate generated during vigorous exercise • Why vigorous-intensity workouts improve focus & attention • Exercise protocols for maximizing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor • How the shear force of blood flow during exercise kills circulating tumour cells

Download the 9-page Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint and get my exact exercise protocols for boosting BDNF: https://bdnfprotocols.com/

Brain Injuries & the Havana Syndrome as consequence of a secret weapon / National Security & Health

Secret weapon that fires a high energy beam of microwaves or ultrasound

Havana Syndrome evidence suggests who may be responsible for mysterious brain injuries

1 Apr 2024

Efforts continue to investigate brain injuries suffered by U.S. officials. This is the fourth 60 Minutes Havana Syndrome report and, for the first time, there’s evidence of who might be responsible.

“60 Minutes” is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen’s Top 10.

the lizard brain debunked, myths about emotions debunked / Neuroscience

27 Jun 2023

Plato famously described the human psyche as two horses and a charioteer: One horse represented instincts, the other represented emotions, and the charioteer was the rational mind that controlled them. Astronomer Carl Sagan continued this idea of a three-layer, “triune brain” in his 1977 book The Dragons of Eden.

But leading neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges this idea of the brain evolving in three layers, instead revealing a common brain plan shared by all mammals and vertebrates. The development of sensory systems led to the emergence of the brain, and hunting and predation may have initiated an arms race to become more efficient and powerful predators.

Despite advances in neuroscience and genetics, the question of why the brain evolved remains elusive. But Feldman Barrett’s fascinating exploration of the brain’s evolution offers insights into the most important functions of this complex organ, and invites us to think more deeply about the origins of our own intelligence.

0:00 What a brain costs
0:21 The triune brain (aka lizard brain) theory
1:24 Plato, Carl Sagan, and the making of the myth
2:35 Debunking the ‘lizard brain’ theory
3:39 How the first brain evolved
5:49 The brain’s ultimate job

29 May 2023

With the growth of self-help books and the fight to destigmatise therapy, people today are perhaps more unafraid than ever to talk about their emotions. But this has led to some common myths about emotions, and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett wants to debunk them.

Barrett argues that emotions are not hardwired into the brain from birth, but rather stem from events that the brain creates based on past experiences and predictions of what’s going to happen. Contrary to popular understanding, emotions are not just reactive events that happen to us — we play an active role in creating them.

By learning new things, watching movies, or even acting in a play to get outside of the normal range of what the brain predicts, Barrett argues that it’s possible to change those predictive patterns, and by doing so, to become the architects of our future selves. Understanding how our brain creates emotions can help us manage them — freeing us from repeated patterns of behaviour and empowering us to control our emotions and heal ourselves.

The 3 brains we have: reptilian, mammalian (limbic) and cortex / Neuroscience

The brain consists of three layers: the reptilian brain, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. The reptilian brain controls bodily functions like hormones, body temperature, and hunger. The limbic system handles emotions such as fear, anger, joy, and gratitude. The cerebral cortex is responsible for impulse control, decision making, and long-term planning.

Understanding the functions of each part of the brain allows for more mindful thoughts and better decision-making. For instance, recalling a favourite memory or something that brings happiness can activate the reptilian brain, resulting in a decrease in body temperature and blood pressure. This can reduce stress and promote a more joyful experience throughout the day.

In this video, neurologist Robert Sapolsky explores these concepts in greater depth.

2 Jun 2023

You’ve heard about your ‘lizard brain’. But what about the other two?

What’s the best way to think about the brain? While most of us think of it as a dense gray matter that’s separate from the physical body, that actually couldn’t be further from the truth. Our brain is actually made up of 3 layers, and each layer not only directly impacts the other, but has control over the physical body and how you feel.

Neurologist Robert Sapolsky explores these separate brain systems as individual characters, all with different goals and motives. The brain comes in 3 functional layers: the reptilian brain, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. The reptilian brain controls the regulatory systems in your body like hormones, body temperature, blood pressure, and even hunger. The limbic system is the emotional function of your brain, making you feel fear, anger, joy, or gratitude.

Finally, the cerebral cortex is the most evolved part of the brain that oversees impulse control, decision making, and long-term planning. With a better understanding of how each part of the brain functions, we can have more mindful thoughts that will influence more favourable decision-making and outcomes in life. For example, when you think of your favourite memory or something that makes you happy, your reptilian brain will quickly cool down your body and even lower your blood pressure. This can then lead to feeling less stressed, and finding more joy throughout the day.

How stress impacts the human Body / Neuro-endocrinology

31 May 2017

How can humans be so compassionate and altruistic — and also so brutal and violent? To understand why we do what we do, neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky looks at extreme context, examining actions on timescales from seconds to millions of years before they occurred. In this fascinating talk, he shares his cutting edge research into the biology that drives our worst and best behaviours.

14 Oct 2023

Dr Robert Sapolsky is a Professor at Stanford University, a world-leading researcher, and an author. Stress is an inevitable part of human life. But what is stress actually doing to the human body when it happens for such a prolonged period of time? And what does science say are the best interventions to defeat it?

Expect to learn the crucial difference between short term and long term stress, how stress actually impacts the human system, the neurodevelopmental consequences of stress and poverty, how to detrain your dopamine sensitivity, what everyone doesn’t understand about how hormones work, whether believing in free will is a useful world view, why there is a relationship between belief in free will and obesity and much more…

00:00 What Robert Wished People Knew About Stress
06:00 Where is the Threshold of Short-Term Stress Becoming Long-Term?
12:29 How Brain Development is Influenced by Mother’s Socioeconomic Status
25:50 Does Your Stress Impact Your Descendants?
29:00 Finding Solutions to Manage Stress
35:52 How to Better Enjoy the Good Things in Life
42:50 Can You Actually Detox from Dopamine?
53:18 Why Robert Wanted to Study Our Lack of Free Will
1:01:46 How Having No Conscious Agency Impacts Justice
1:11:10 The Myth of the Self-Made Man
1:32:43 How to Acknowledge Your Lack of Agency & Not Feel Depressed
1:40:22 Where to Find Robert

Blood Sugar & Brain Power = Eating Hacks that will reduce your level glucose / Biochemistry, Brain Health & Wellness

Glucose spike and brain health

Breakfast: Sweet vs Savoury

Hacks before and after meals

30 Oct 2023

What impact does your blood sugar level have on your brain power?

Every cell in your body needs energy to run. And one of the main ways you provide this energy is through glucose. But while eating foods high in starch and sugar will give you a glucose spike, that doesn’t actually give your body or brain the energy it needs to be consistent. I’m excited to have Jessie Inchauspé (@GlucoseRevolution) on our show today.

Jessie is biochemist who shares her insights and knowledge of the effect glucose has on the body and brain. She’s also a bestselling author, and she’s here to talk about the strategies from her latest book, The Glucose Goddess Method: The 4-Week Guide to Cutting Cravings, Getting Your Energy Back, and Feeling Amazing: https://amzn.to/49cuG97

Giving your body energy isn’t simply a matter of eating more glucose. In fact, eating too much can lead to a wide range of problems including inflammation, diabetes, and more. Listen in as Jessie shares four simple food principles you can introduce into your diet today to help balance your glucose, improve cognitive performance, and live a better life.

0:00 Glucose Goddess
2:04 What is glucose
4:00 Glucose spike and brain health
5:24 The Glucose Goddess Method
6:55 Breakfast: Sweet vs Savory
9:20 Do this before meals
12:38 If you eat bread first thing in a meal…
15:04 Do this hack after a meal
17:11 How to make a change effortlessly

How to make a change effortlessly Join my brand-new membership Kwik Success today: https://bit.ly/3tSLwK1

Hacks to reduce the impact of your sugar cravings / Biochemestry & Wellness

4 PM Chocolate Cravings: Chocolate cake + Greek yogurt

The cravings centre in our brain

The Protein Leverage Hypothesis

7 Feb 2024

Useful links that I cover in the video: • Anti-Spike Formula, my new supplement that reduces the spike of carbs and sugars by 40%: https://antispike.com/ • Savory Breakfast Guide and recipes: https://www.glucosegoddess.com/savour… • My 10 glucose hacks as a PDF: https://www.glucosegoddess.com/email-…

Welcome to my brand new show! Today, we’re tackling the science behind sugar cravings. Learn practical hacks to control cravings and why breakfast is key. For more tips and glucose hacks, hit subscribe. Let’s conquer cravings together!

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Cravings Are Not Your Fault
01:02 – 4 PM Chocolate Cravings
02:17 – Diving into the Science of Cravings
03:46 – Glucose levels
04:22 – The cravings centre in our brain
07:31 – Dopamine
09:40 – Introducing Glucose Hacks
10:11 – When to eat sugar
10:54 – How to ‘Dress’ Your Carbs
11:50 – The Vinegar Hack
12:30 – The Protein Leverage Hypothesis
14:20 – Savory Breakfast
16:23 – Anti-Spike Formula

Scientists discovered a new cause of Alzheimer’s & Dementia / Health, Medicine & Neurology

14 Sept 2023

Scientists have been doing research to confirm after an unexpected discovery in 2017, one they can’t believe went unnoticed before now. Studying the brains of patients who had died with Alzheimer’s, the researchers discovered that cells responsible for removing debris in the brain had been dying off.

OHSU scientists discover condition that contributes to Alzheimer’s by triggering a cascade of degeneration among immune cells in the brain

Studying the brains of patients who had died with Alzheimer’s, the researchers discovered that cells responsible for removing debris in the brain had been dying off.

Published: 5:17 PM PDT September 14, 2023 Author: Ashley Grams

PORTLAND, Ore. — Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating yet common condition, made all the more painful by the fact that there’s no cure and the disease is difficult to study. But after seven years of work, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University say they’ve discovered a new cause of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

“A big surprise, and we spent seven years doing this study because we had a hard time believing that the field as a whole, worldwide, could have missed such a significant finding,” said Dr. Stephen Back, a lead researcher.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Neurology in August.

Back said it was one of the study’s co-authors who first noticed unexpected activity in a sample of microglia cells in 2017. Microglia cells are involved in immune responses in the brain, clearing out cell debris. But the cells under observation didn’t activate; instead, they were dying.

“[I] sat down at the microscope for a couple of days, studying all of the slides, and (the more I watched), the more astonished I was that yeah, she’s on to something here,” Back said of the discovery. 

The study examined post-mortem brain tissue of patients with dementia and found that the microglia cells had degenerated in the white matter of the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

One of the jobs of microglia cells is to clear out debris from damaged myelin, which is an insulation-like sheath around nerve fibers in the brain. The study discovered a form of neurodegeneration triggered by myelin deterioration, in which microglia cells swarm in to clear out iron-rich myelin debris, only for the microglia themselves to be killed in the process.

Back and his team could see that the microglia cells were being damaged by the excess iron, and once filled with iron, the cells began to die off. The cells were doing what they’re supposed to do by clearing out the myelin debris, but they were essentially “dying in the line of duty,” according to a news release from OHSU, setting off a cascading effect that appears to contribute to the progression of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

“Large numbers of these cells are just not available to do their job in the brain,” Back explained.

Previous research hadn’t uncovered the link between this specific form of iron-related microglia cell death — known as ferroptosis — and Alzheimer’s. Back and his team conducted their study on human brains, and he said that’s one reason why they were able to make the discovery. 

“We had 40 of these brains that we studied to try to understand the range of responses that these cells might have,” Back said.

Back said he expects these findings to inspire new pharmaceutical research aimed at reducing microglial degeneration.

“There are a whole class of new drugs that drug companies are starting to think about and develop to target these sorts of problems,” he said.

He speculated that the underlying cause of the degeneration could involve periods of low blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain due to stroke, hypertension or diabetes.

“Dementia is a process that goes on for years and years,” he said. “We have to tackle this from the early days to have an impact so that it doesn’t spin out of control.”

31 May 2022

More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. But research shows staying healthy can reduce the risk of getting it and other memory loss diseases.

Train and Improve your Memory with these exercises!

11 Jan 2019

Train your memory with this video. Each test increases the difficulty, in a total of 8 tests. Are you able to overcome it? Check how your memory works. Train your memory.

28 Jan 2019

Train your memory with this video. Each test increases the difficulty, in a total of 8 tests. Are you able to overcome it? Check how your memory works. Train your memory with your friends and family.

5 Jan 2023

We are proud to announce our new game today! Today we introduce a new game at Brain games, The memory game! This will be a series going forward, hope you like it. Are you ready to test your memory? have a good look at the picture and memorize the icons, can you guess where they were? Train your visual memory.

23 Jul 2022

Test your memory in this quiz! You will get 1 minute to memorise as much as you can, and there will be 10 questions to test your memory. How many details will you remember? Let’s begin!

31 Jul 2022

10 Aug 2022

Test your memory in this quiz! You will get 1 minute to memorise as much as you can, and there will be 10 questions to test your memory. How many details will you remember?

17 Apr 2023