Aging and Disease — David Gems / Serious Science

Great video, and the topic of focus for the next two weeks of my seminar "Science and Justice".

I have spent the past decade of my research arguing that we should not try to fit aging into the disease model paradigm of public health.  Instead, we should encourage the latter to be "plastic" and embrace a post-protean account of public health.

I am in the final stages of a major project on this issue, look for it to be out in print next year.

Cheers, 

Colin

My "Grilled Cheese" Good News/Bad News Talk (tomorrow in Kingston)

Looking forward to having an engaging conversation with 165 seniors tomorrow on the ethics of longevity science.  In my 60 minute talk I offer up what I call the “good news/bad news” grilled cheese sandwich: 

• #1.  The good news (bottom toast):  global populations are aging! (versus dying prematurely when young)
• #2.  Some bad news (melted cheese):  the global healthspan-lifespan gap is 9.6 years, and 2.4 years larger for women than men.
• #3.  Some more good news (top toast):  translational gerontology may soon deliver new health innovations that increase healthspan and shrink the duration of life spent managing multi-morbidity, frailty and disability.

Should be a fun experience!

Cheers, 

Colin

Hobbies and Brain Aging

 Nature news has the scoop on this fascinating study on creative hobbies and brain aging. A sample from the news item:

Overall, all four creative pursuits seemed to delay brain ageing. The more skilled and experienced participants were at their chosen activity, the slower their brain aged. This anti-ageing effect was strongest in expert tango dancers, whose brains were, on average, seven years younger than their chronological age. Tango’s cognitively demanding mix of complex movement sequences, coordination and planning makes it a particularly good activity for keeping the brain young, says Ibáñez.

And the study's abstract:

Creative experiences may enhance brain health, yet metrics and mechanisms remain elusive. We characterized brain health using brain clocks, which capture deviations from chronological age (i.e., accelerated or delayed brain aging). We combined M/EEG functional connectivity (N = 1,240) with machine learning support vector machines, whole-brain modeling, and Neurosynth metanalyses. From this framework, we reanalyzed previously published datasets of expert and matched non-expert participants in dance, music, visual arts, and video games, along with a pre/post-learning study (N = 232). We found delayed brain age across all domains and scalable effects (expertise>learning). The higher the level of expertise and performance, the greater the delay in brain age. Age-vulnerable brain hubs showed increased connectivity linked to creativity, particularly in areas related to expertise and creative experiences. Neurosynth analysis and computational modeling revealed plasticity-driven increases in brain efficiency and biophysical coupling, in creativity-specific delayed brain aging. Findings indicate a domain‑independent link between creativity and brain health.

Cheers, 

Colin 

 

Sleep Science

Nature news has a nice item on the latest from the science of sleep.  I would place the science of sleep on my top 5 areas of science to follow, behind science on aging, play, personality traits and happiness.  A sample from the news item:

This timekeeping machinery ensures that physiological systems are primed to do the right things at the right times — such as defend against pathogens, digest food and sleep. But circadian clocks don’t cycle precisely on their own. To stay in sync and function optimally, they need regular calibration from sunlight, daily routines and other cues.

Modern life doesn’t often cooperate. People spend much of their time indoors. They eat late into the night. They shift sleep schedules between workdays and weekends, effectively jet-lagging themselves. The toll is steep. In the short term, circadian disruption and insufficient sleep can reduce cognition, mood and reaction time. In the long term, they can increase risks of infections, diabetes, depression, dementia, cancer, heart disease and premature death.

For better sleep and overall health, McHill and other scientists emphasize three basics: contrasting light and dark, consolidating mealtimes and keeping sleep times consistent. “Simply taking a walk outside during the day and reducing our light exposure in the evening could have great effect,” says McHill.

Cheers, 

Colin 

The Conquest of Cancer (100th anniversary)

 

A century ago the surgeon HWS Wright published his book The Conquest of Cancer.  It opens with the following:

Cheers, 

Colin

Gene Therapy for HD

Nature news reports the encouraging news from a gene therapy trial for Huntington's Disease:

A one-time gene therapy can markedly slow the progression of Huntington’s disease, potentially paving the way for the first ever treatment to alter the course of this rare, inherited brain disorder.

In a small trial of 29 people who were in the early stages of Huntington’s-related decline, participants who received a high dose of the therapy directly into their brains saw the disease slow by 75% over three years, compared with those in a control group.

Cheers, 

Colin 

Ernst Mayr - Problems of the philosophy of biology

Short clip from a brilliant scientist who was ahead of his time (while philosophy was way behind its time)!

Cheers, 

Colin