SRINU KRIYA – SUPER
CENTENARIANS - 3
Hai
Friends,
As the brain ages, the graymatter shrinks and the
white matter starts to breakup. Shrinkage is particularly evident in the
prefrontal cortex, where high-level thinking and reasoning takes place, and the
Hippo-campus, which place center role memory. There are fewer
receptors and other protein too, but most dramatic fall in the amount of
dopamine a neuro transmitter, whose many functions include movement control,
general motivation and learning. From early adult hood onwards, Dopamine
levels drops by about 10% per decade, making it a powerful marker of brain
aging
Aerobic exercise can slow cognitive decline by
stimulating production of BDNF, which help the growth of new blood vessels, not
only in the muscles being exercised but in the brain as well.
Several studies have shown that people of all ages can improve their
performance on specific computer tasks in which they train. Grand
child wins short runs – Grandfa’s wins marathon runs. Low metabolic rate
is also important.
Shortening of telomeres (DNA caps on the tips of the
chromosomes) disturbs stem cells. With a ready supply of active stem
cells, older muscles might be made stronger, falling brains could become less
prone to cognitive lapses, and aged bone marrow could be better able to produce
the infection fighting T-and B-Cells. If stem cells in older people
could be made to retain their effectiveness, perhaps broken bones and skin
wounds could be made to heal faster and, with time, we might be able to treat
the conditions of oldage such as dementia and heart disease. A
landmark experiment showed the dramatic effect that external factors could have
on stem cells. Stem cells in old tissue enliven their environment and the
signal can carry.
The Gut Microbiota appears to be driven by what people
eat. Elder people olfactory lobe losses it’s efficiency, so they
typically cannot taste or smell as well as they used to, decreasing the appeal
of some foods. Older people tend to have a much more balanced diet, which
more fiber, protein chicken and only fish. Telomerase reverse
transcriptse (TERT) resulted in 24% extension of longevity without increasing
the risk of cancers.(Contd... 4-9) 1st November.
With
courtesy of nature, scientific America,
national Geographic, Benarus
Hindu University,
Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama and Google images.