Optimal Being

Brain cells with the same "birthdate" are more likely to wire together into cooperative signaling circuits that carry out many functions, including the storage of memories, a new study finds. Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study on the brains of mice developing in the womb found that brain cells (neurons) with the same birthdate showed distinct connectivity and activity throughout the animals' adult lives, whether they were asleep or awake. Published online August 22 in  Nature Neuroscience , the findings suggest that evolution took advantage of the orderly birth of neurons -- by gestational day -- to form localized microcircuits in the hippocampus, the brain region that forms memories. Rather than attempting to create each new memory from scratch, the researchers suggest, the brain may exploit the stepwise formation of neuronal layers to establish neural templates, like "Lego pieces," that match each new experience to an existi...

Altruistic behavior takes place in a different part of the brain to similar activity to help oneself, new research has found An area of the brain specifically involved in putting in effort to help others out has been pinpointed by scientists at the University of Birmingham and University of Oxford. The research, published in  Current Biology,  shows that effortful altruistic behaviour -choices people make that help others -- takes place in a different part of the brain from that used to make physically demanding choices that help oneself. Understanding more precisely what goes on in the brain when these decisions are made could help clinicians to develop approaches for treating psychopathic behaviours. It could also be useful for better understanding why people are willing to perform everyday effortful helping behaviours like voluntary work, recycling waste to slow global warming or stopping to help strangers. The area identified, called the anterior cingulate cortex gyrus (AC...

What is inflammaging? The aging processes are accompanied by a chronic, smoldering background of inflammation that researchers call “inflammaging”. This backdrop of low-grade inflammation contributes significantly to mortality risk in the elderly and has a number of sources. The chronic inflammation that accompanies the aging process is believed to be a significant risk factor for a myriad of age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, hypertension, and cancer [1-3]. The immune system relies on acute inflammation during the immune response to fight invading pathogens and to facilitate wound healing. This triggers cell turnover and tissue repair and is, in general, a desirable reason for inflammation. However, in direct contrast to this, inflammaging produces a chronic, low-grade, persistent background of inflammation that leads to poor tissue repair and degeneration [4]. This chronic inflammation also contributes to the development of age-related diseases and is instrumen...

Metformin is widely prescribed for type 2 diabetes; it improves glucose metabolism and thereby reduces diabetic complications. How it works is not well-understood, but we know that metformin mostly interacts with signaling molecules in the liver, gut, and kidney. Results vary according to the dosage and duration of metformin treatment. Metformin has multiple mechanisms of action, which likely account for its anticystic, antitumor, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and longevity effects. Metformin and glucose metabolism Diabetes is an age accelerator. Compared to non-diabetic individuals, the phenotypic age (PhAge) of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is 12.02 and 16.32 years higher, respectively [1]. Metformin helps normalize glucose levels and therefore may slow changes in PhAge. Metformin’s journey in the body begins with gut cells called enterocytes. Metformin carries a positive charge, which makes it relatively easy to cross the negatively charged cell membrane. Further,...