The Neuro-Protective Lifestyle

Who guessed that the second law of thermodynamics† would be invoked to explain the neurobiology of aging. Rather than one master mechanism to explain the gradual failing of complex neurochemical processes, a shroud of dysregulation slowly, (mostly), yet inexorably engulfs our delicate brain mitochondrial DNA. Since brain mitochondrial DNA is especially sensitive to oxidative damage the result is, profound neurodegeneration and death.

A veritable laundry list of antioxidants capable of quenching singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species exists. As a former believer in the “free-radical theory of aging” I have taken most of them at one time or another. As it turns out, impaired insulin signaling, caused by free-radical damage and the progressive imbalance of a family seven super-enzymes known as “sirtuins” best explains brain aging and cognitive decline. Who’d ah thunk?

So what’s so super about the sirtuin super-enzymes you ask? Only that they more than double the lifespan of simple yeast cells and ultimately are responsible for the regulation of metabolism, gene expression and aging!

So what sirtuin activating compounds do we know about already? You met one not long ago…resveratrol and the whole family of polyphenols. Low-calorie diets increase longevity by activating sirtuin. Exercise increases sirtuin activity.

Without question commercially viable, small molecule activators of sirtuin subtypes will be available for the taking.

Just ask the folks at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.

In the meantime, train and eat like a buddhist monk.

†In physics entropy signifies the amount of energy in a closed system that is unavailable to do work. Simply put, over time, all things tend toward increasing randomness and decay…our universe included.

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Humans have two hippocampus’s— hippocampi really.
You know, like octopus and octopi, hippopotamus and hippopotami?

I know what you’re thinking, enough already. Like it or not, the word silliness will probably help you remember the fact that you have a hippocampus–or– it may drive you to the next blog.

Either way, having happy hippocampi (I can’t stop), are well worth the effort. You’ll see why in a moment. But first, where the heck is my hippocampus?

Seen from the side, the brain looks a little like a boxing glove (that is seen from the side also).
First, visualize the thumb region or “temporal lobes” (by utilizing your ever-ready parahippocampus). There, neatly tucked away, just medial to the temporal lobes (towards the midline of the body) lies the home of the hippocampus.

To continue the boxing glove analogy, the hippocampus takes the first hit in neurodegenerative memory-heavy disorders like Alzheimers.

That’s because the hippocampus has everything to do with forming new memories. Something that is not done well at all in Alzheimer’s. More specifically, declarative or factual memory and spatial or navigation memory is processed within the hippocampus. No new memories are formed and thus no real learning takes place without a happy hippocampus.

Now then, on to things that harass (I really can’t stop) your hippocampus:

lead exposure
sleep deprivation
“chronic stress”
vitamin A deficiency
environmental estrogens (this one is to be feared)
acute stress and “fear reactions”
13-cis retinoic acid (Accutane)
a diet high in hydrogenated fats and saturated fat generally
hypoxemia (decreased oxygen) due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), especially childhood obesity and OSA

Well the list goes on and on but the common denominator is excitotoxicity and neuronal death.

The good news is that there are a whole host of positives, to offset the negatives when it comes to long-term hippocampal health. Take for example, polyphenols, also known as proanthocyanadins. These are the “phytochemicals” or medicinal properties found in certain foods. The most commercially successful of course is resveratrol found predominantly in red wine. There are hundreds if not thousands of polyphenols found in a variety of foods. The trick is to keep a running list in your head and avail yourself of them frequently.

More specifically, the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol include its ability to prevent ß-amyloid induced neurotoxicity. ß-amyloid you’ll remember is the major component of the neurofibrillary tangles found primarily in Alzheimer’s disease. Generally speaking, any “miss-folded” protein in the human body spells disaster. In fact, aging, when reduced to its simplest biochemical basis, is nothing more than a series of misguided and misfolded proteins.
Makes you want to start all over and do it right this time doesn’t it?

Don’t despair. Stay tuned for a grand elaboration of the way polyphenols correct for “inflammation over-load”, neuro and otherwise!

Kerry D. Friesen, M.D.

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Not to be confused with Matt Elliott’s netherworldly 2003 album “The Mess We Made”. Cotard’s Delusion is even darker and more netherworldly (no I don’t really know if that is even a word).

Go on a major neuro-mapping expedition and adjacent to the parahippocampus you’ll find the infamous fusiform face area (FFA). A little known area of the brain responsible for facial recognition. Mess with it and you have “prosopagnosia” face-blindness. Yep, your own face is no longer familiar. Brain trauma or a major mental illness creates a disconnect between the limbic system (emotional center) and the fusiform face area. The emotional disconnect leaves you wondering about “who you are”.

Regardless, Dr. Jules Cotard, the french neurologist to put a name to it in 1880 was the first to describe this rare neuropsychiatric disorder. Not “seeing” your own face can cause a whole host of other delusional symptoms. Like, my flesh is rotting, major organs are missing or since “I’m dead” I cannot be killed, therefore I am immortal. You gotta love the overly optimistic delusional rational. There was a lesson to learn when I started this post but I don’t know what it is anymore.

Welcome to “Neuro-Strange But True“. The first of many strange, but hopefully insightful neurological conundrums designed to increase your dendritic spine density. (Ah, maybe that was the point). If you can come up with a better name, send it to me!

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