7 ms·

Simple blood tests may soon be able to deliver news about your cognitive health

102 points by helloworld 9y ago

tequila_shot 9y ago
If I knew Alzheimer's were coming for me, I'd start meditating now. I currently do mindful meditation everyday, and have been doing since 2008.
- Buttons840 9y ago
  I've had the same thought. I don't know that the meditation would slow down dementia, but I could hopefully cultivate mindfulness and cheerfulness, lest I become more and more frustrated at the world as I begin to lose comprehension of it. Also, some good drugs would be nice too.
- shazam 9y ago
  there is no drug or lifestyle strategy that is absolutely guaranteed to protect the brain
ninjakeyboard 9y ago
I eat centrophenoxine and racetams and meditate ~daily. I quit drinking/using anything stronger than caffeine. Try to be good to myself.
- bdamm 9y ago
  How long have you been taking Centrophenoxine?
  - ninjakeyboard 9y ago
    3 years or so.
- intro-b 9y ago
  same as me, in addition to daily aerobic exercise, a lot of walking, and trying to maintain a strong social circle
- amelius 9y ago
  Wow, just read this on Wikipedia: > Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine), as well as DMAE, have been found to increase the lifespans of mice by 30–50%, and thus may be anti-aging drugs/supplements. Are you taking it for a specific reason? Or do you consider this a generally good supplement?
  - a_imho 9y ago
    I also found it interesting and checked the cited source, it also says Using very much higher doses than Nandy or Hochschild, Harman reported a decrease in lifespans of treated animals (he may have given an overdose long term)
  - ninjakeyboard 9y ago
    I take it as a choline supplement, nootropic, and companion to racetams (especially oxiracetam.)
  - hannob 9y ago
    > Wow, just read this on Wikipedia: > > Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine), as well as DMAE, have been found to increase the lifespans of mice by 30–50%, and thus may be anti-aging drugs/supplements. Have you also checked the source? It's not a scientific publication, it's a claim from a book by a quack.
    - jz_ 9y ago
      > Have you also checked the source? It's not a scientific publication That's probably something to do with Wikipedia's editing guidelines these days. They have a rule against using primary research citations. Only literature reviews, books, and other secondary sources are acceptable. I found the original source for the claim, which may be no better for supporting the claim for a number of reasons (why has this not been replicated, or did replication fail?): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0531556573900247 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/05315565739... Effect of dimethylaminoethyl p-chlorophenoxyacetate on the lifespan of male Swiss Webster albino mice, J Exp Gerontol 8: 177, 1973 Author: R. Hochschild of "Microware Instruments Co" of California. doi (for sci-hub): 10.1016/0531-5565(73)90024-7 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0531556573900247 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/05315565739... Note: If anyone is actually interested in the field of biogerontology, I recommend following the https://www.fightaging.org https://www.fightaging.org blog for editorialisation of news and research papers coming out of the field.
tabeth 9y ago
There are three realities: 1. The actions you should take if you knew that a serious disorder was coming for you will probably be beneficial one way or another. 2. There is nothing you can do about Alzheimers. 3. The only reason you wouldn't live the best, healthiest life you could now is because of an incorrect notion that you'll probably be fine until some set time (e.g. retirement) Knowing these things, and the fact that stress has a negative effect on your health should compel anyone who reads the article to just live a sustainable life. Since everyone dies and everyone knows it, the priority should be on living a nice life, free from the illusion that you'll live any given duration. Ideally, being diagnosed with something like Alzheimers would result in a shrug, just like how you would shrug if someone told you you're gonna die one day.
- dsp1234 9y ago
  Alzheimers would result in a shrug, just like how you would shrug if someone told you you're gonna die one day. Alzheimer's isn't like being dead though. It's an incredibly painful reminder to everyone you've every loved that you are no longer "you", but they have to take care of you every day anyways. Painfully re-opening wounds every time you don't remember who they are, or hurt yourself from confusion. It's a continuous living purgatory for your loved ones, with you gone but not gone. I'd rather live the best, unhealthiest life, and hope I'm dead dead from other causes before I can cause so much pain to the ones I love.
  - bdamm 9y ago
    Indeed. Personally I am confused by those wishing to die in their sleep. I'd prefer to be totally awake, cognitively aware that I'm dying. People think I'm joking when I say I'd like a violent death, if the alternative is Alzheimer's. The trouble is a) knowing that I have it and b) having the drive to annihilate myself before I no longer can do it myself. Fortunately I live in a state where suicide is legal and available by pill, and that's a great option if I can't build up the drive to rig my death some other way.
    - ohhhlol 9y ago
jksmith 9y ago
I'd fly to Africa, walk out into a herd of Cape Buffalo, and slap one of those bastards right in the face as hard as I could. Why people want to live forever is beyond me.
- rhaps0dy 9y ago
  You might want to look for a less painful and less expensive suicide method, and then proceed to not suffer and donate the money saved to charity. Wouldn't you prefer, if you could, to live for longer free of Alzheimer's?
  - jksmith 9y ago
    >You might want to look for a less painful and less expensive suicide method Well sure, at least regarding the pain part. My preference would be massive heart attack at the peak of sex. >then proceed to not suffer and donate the money saved to charity. Been doing the charity thing all my adult life. Choosing when and how I die is a control of premium value, however selfish. Quantity of life doesn't interest me as much as quality of life.
    - gitisstillhere 9y ago
      > Quantity of life doesn't interest me as much as quality of life. I really do wish hedonism and epicureanism got more respect—after all, the greatest joys in life are often communion—sharing food, experiences, stories. Only very shallow interpretations focus on physical pleasures.
- adventured 9y ago
  > Why people want to live forever is beyond me. I have the same reaction when someone says they only want to live ~80 years. What a terrible outcome when the universe is so massive. There's so much to see, do, try, experience and learn. There are trillions of galaxies out there and every one of them is different. I could easily happily fill thousands of years just in our solar system. I'd like to live long enough to explore other solar systems and galaxies and yet the earth by itself is far too large to ever meaningfully explore in a few lifetimes, much less one. I simply want to see what all is out there. Now, granted, plenty of people consider that a very selfish desire (based on a scarce resources premise) and I'll openly admit to that. It's about as selfish a desire as there can be. I'm ok with that, it's also not a desire that can be actual (not in my lifetime anyway). As such it's equivalent to wanting to be able to fly around like Superman. My desire to learn and experience more will never halt, as such my desire to live an extremely long time will never cease.
ams6110 9y ago
Get my affairs in order, then arrange for a quick death. I have no desire to become a burden on my children or anyone else.
- mythrwy 9y ago
  Due to a bug in our system we inadvertently provided some of our users with results from other patients. Point being, watch the weather and plan, fine, but don't become certain until you see rain falling from the sky.
- petercooper 9y ago
  I sympathize with this viewpoint, but I need to play devil's advocate a little, to highlight the problems with predictive diagnoses: Most Americans with this genotype go on to develop late-onset dementia. Let's say "most" is 90%. Let's also say the accuracy of this test is (and I don't know if this is realistic or not) 98%. Does the 11.8% chance of no dementia on a positive result give me enough to follow through with a plan? For me, no, though I appreciate attitudes would vary.
LordHumungous 9y ago
Why would you ever want to know this.
- intro-b 9y ago
  for me, using 23andme and other components of genetic testing related to health risk factors (all four of my grandparents passed away from or are currently battling cancer) helped me make some long-term decisions regarding my habits and lifestyle, and it did influence my decision to go into a healthcare-related field as a career. I like to think of it more as "I'd like to know what I'm up against," rather than "I have a morbid curiosity about what non-accident deaths will most likely happen to me"
- alakin 9y ago
  because you could spend a tiny amount of effort/time to search for a newly available treatment to prevent the worst case scenario
hourislate 9y ago
I know genetically for some this may be unavoidable but perhaps by living a healthy life you could delay it to a point where you would pass away before it took over. Obesity, Insulin Resistance, have been linked to this disease/condition. Maybe regular fasting, exercise, taking supplements (Lions Mane come to mind), CBD oil, coconut oil, medications like Metaformin, etc might help. It would be worth a shot since there are no real alternatives at the moment.
- 0xcde4c3db 9y ago
  That might have the opposite effect, since Alzheimer's rates go up ~exponentially after age 65 or so.
llamataboot 9y ago
I have this variant. AMA (It hasn't been traumatic knowledge for me -- anyone with severe dementia in their biological family knows that there is some heredity there, whether or not they know they have this particular gene variant)
- bri3d 9y ago
  I also learned I have one variant (not two) and was already fairly aware as well due to my family history. I already live as healthy a life as I can and focus on enjoying it. Can't really do much of anything else. To me the greatest benefit of this knowledge is being able to prepare loved ones and family for the inevitable - beyond that, there's not really much to be done and the knowledge hasn't really impacted me much.
  - Retric 9y ago
    Their are some financial implications as to how much and what long term care insurance to have.
    - fencepost 9y ago
      Regarding long term care, I have a relative who ended up on disability in their 40s and I pushed them hard to get an appropriate supplemental plan with Medicare to be sure they'd have coverage - eligibility to purchase that coverage is only for 6 months when you first get on disability, then wait until 65. It basically came down to "with your issues, what are the odds you'll need to spend a few weeks in rehab after a bad fall within the next 20-25 years?"
- shazam 9y ago
  How old are you? Would you have wanted to find out if you were in your 20's?
  - llamataboot 9y ago
    I'm in my 30s and I found out in my 30s. I'm glad to have found out, but it hasn't really changed my life. As an above poster said, to me it's akin to saying "you're going to die someday, live a good life and take care of yourself"
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
miguelrochefort 9y ago
Soon™
otakucode 9y ago
Does 'simple' mean 'you can buy it in Amazon and perform it in the privacy of your own home'? Because needing to book an office visit with someone who has had about a decade of medical training just to get the test done is not exactly 'simple' in my book. And sharing those results with the increasingly invasive systems of insurance and government and otherwise doesn't fill me with anticipation. Overall I definitely do want to know, though. If I know that I am highly likely to contract dementia I can start doing things to attempt to combat it, or at least plan 5 or so years before that point to begin using hard drugs. You don't get any money back if you leave your body in good shape. I'd prefer to slide it smoking and smouldering across the finish line, missing both bumpers and with only one headlight hanging out. Then explode.
- frankling_ 9y ago
  Nicely put. However, it does take some excellent judgement to avoid an extended crawl across the last few meters.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- JamesBarney 9y ago
  It's a heck of a lot simpler than a brain autopsy, or a spinal tap. And the real breakthrough isn't about people being able to know their demise, it's that they're are a lot of things that we suspect from a epidemiological perspective lower rates of alzheimer's but which have no effect once the disease is progressed.
- jashper 9y ago
  I for one will heartily join you at that finish line... hopefully a bit farther than we think it may be.
- of 9y ago
  Have you seen Atlas Shrugged?
arikr 9y ago
Does anyone know an ETA on when this may be usable?
jjawssd 9y ago
Can Alzheimer's disease also be known as Type 3 diabetes? "Brain insulin resistance (diabetes) is very much like regular diabetes," de la Monte said. "Since the underlying problems continue to be just about the same, we believe that the development of new therapies would be applicable for all types of diabetes, including Alzheimer's disease, which we refer to as Type III diabetes." Suzanne M. de la Monte, Edward Re, Lisa Longato, Ming Tong. Dysfunctional Pro-Ceramide, ER Stress, and Insulin/IGF Signaling Networks with Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, June 22, 2012, supplement; DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111728 Same author four years prior: "brain insulin resistance is sufficient to cause AD and that additional significant abnormalities, such as ongoing DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, are required." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/
- trendia 9y ago
  Your last quote is the opposite of what the paper says. The authors write that insulin resistance is not sufficient to cause AD and that other things are required: > Therefore, T2DM and obesity may contribute to, i.e., serve as cofactors of AD but by themselves are probably not sufficient to cause AD. Moreover, the findings in the T2DM/obesity model indicate the unlikelihood [emphasis here] that brain insulin resistance is sufficient to cause AD and that additional significant abnormalities, such as ongoing DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, are required.
chiefalchemist 9y ago
Pardon the editorial (I realize it's not very HN) but this type of fear mongering fluff does the public more harm than good. The point being epigenetic is real. It does the general public more harm than good to perpetuate the myth that they (via lifestyle, diet, etc.) have no say in their genetic destiny. No doubt sometimes some of these genes really matter. But often they are dormant notes of what might be if you don't take care of yourself. p.s. I just finished reading "Grain Brain." Regardless of what you think about gluten, he makes very strong case for: where you take your body, your brain is going to follow. He mentions Alzheimer's often.
- Danihan 9y ago
  >p.s. I just finished reading "Grain Brain." Regardless of what you think about gluten, It's not just gluten. Look into enrichment. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*pBs90R1LfdGOfpTS.png https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*pBs90R1LfdGOfpTS.... Most people are actually sensitive to the additives added to fortified wheat sold in the States, especially Vitamin B[0] and Iron[1]. [0]: https://freetheanimal.com/2016/05/enrichment-promotes-everything.html https://freetheanimal.com/2016/05/enrichment-promotes-everyt... [1]: https://freetheanimal.com/2015/06/enrichment-theory-everything.html https://freetheanimal.com/2015/06/enrichment-theory-everythi...
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    Yup. Agreed. It's just some people are fond of latching on to anything "...gluten..." and then using that to push back againt. I didn't want to get into that politics, and wanted to recommend it as a brain hack type of manual. At least that's how I see it.
mhkool 9y ago
I am getting a bit irritated when I read the news about Alzheimers since for a couple of years there is a treatment which was developed by Dr Dale Bredesen. Dr Bredesen looked at all factors which were linked with Alzheimers and combined many together into a treatment strategy. He also defined 3 subtypes of Alzheimers. The result is that his treatment cures 9 out 10 patients with mild Alzheimers. The fact that Bill Gates invests in new drug treatments is insane.

102 points by helloworld 9y ago

If I knew Alzheimer's were coming for me, I'd start meditating now. I currently do mindful meditation everyday, and have been doing since 2008.

Buttons840 9y ago
I've had the same thought. I don't know that the meditation would slow down dementia, but I could hopefully cultivate mindfulness and cheerfulness, lest I become more and more frustrated at the world as I begin to lose comprehension of it. Also, some good drugs would be nice too.
shazam 9y ago
there is no drug or lifestyle strategy that is absolutely guaranteed to protect the brain

ninjakeyboard 9y ago

I eat centrophenoxine and racetams and meditate ~daily. I quit drinking/using anything stronger than caffeine. Try to be good to myself.

bdamm 9y ago
How long have you been taking Centrophenoxine?
- ninjakeyboard 9y ago
  3 years or so.
intro-b 9y ago
same as me, in addition to daily aerobic exercise, a lot of walking, and trying to maintain a strong social circle
amelius 9y ago
Wow, just read this on Wikipedia: > Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine), as well as DMAE, have been found to increase the lifespans of mice by 30–50%, and thus may be anti-aging drugs/supplements. Are you taking it for a specific reason? Or do you consider this a generally good supplement?
- a_imho 9y ago
  I also found it interesting and checked the cited source, it also says Using very much higher doses than Nandy or Hochschild, Harman reported a decrease in lifespans of treated animals (he may have given an overdose long term)
- ninjakeyboard 9y ago
  I take it as a choline supplement, nootropic, and companion to racetams (especially oxiracetam.)
- hannob 9y ago
  > Wow, just read this on Wikipedia: > > Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine), as well as DMAE, have been found to increase the lifespans of mice by 30–50%, and thus may be anti-aging drugs/supplements. Have you also checked the source? It's not a scientific publication, it's a claim from a book by a quack.
  - jz_ 9y ago
    > Have you also checked the source? It's not a scientific publication That's probably something to do with Wikipedia's editing guidelines these days. They have a rule against using primary research citations. Only literature reviews, books, and other secondary sources are acceptable. I found the original source for the claim, which may be no better for supporting the claim for a number of reasons (why has this not been replicated, or did replication fail?): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0531556573900247 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/05315565739... Effect of dimethylaminoethyl p-chlorophenoxyacetate on the lifespan of male Swiss Webster albino mice, J Exp Gerontol 8: 177, 1973 Author: R. Hochschild of "Microware Instruments Co" of California. doi (for sci-hub): 10.1016/0531-5565(73)90024-7 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0531556573900247 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/05315565739... Note: If anyone is actually interested in the field of biogerontology, I recommend following the https://www.fightaging.org https://www.fightaging.org blog for editorialisation of news and research papers coming out of the field.

tabeth 9y ago

There are three realities: 1. The actions you should take if you knew that a serious disorder was coming for you will probably be beneficial one way or another. 2. There is nothing you can do about Alzheimers. 3. The only reason you wouldn't live the best, healthiest life you could now is because of an incorrect notion that you'll probably be fine until some set time (e.g. retirement) Knowing these things, and the fact that stress has a negative effect on your health should compel anyone who reads the article to just live a sustainable life. Since everyone dies and everyone knows it, the priority should be on living a nice life, free from the illusion that you'll live any given duration. Ideally, being diagnosed with something like Alzheimers would result in a shrug, just like how you would shrug if someone told you you're gonna die one day.

dsp1234 9y ago
Alzheimers would result in a shrug, just like how you would shrug if someone told you you're gonna die one day. Alzheimer's isn't like being dead though. It's an incredibly painful reminder to everyone you've every loved that you are no longer "you", but they have to take care of you every day anyways. Painfully re-opening wounds every time you don't remember who they are, or hurt yourself from confusion. It's a continuous living purgatory for your loved ones, with you gone but not gone. I'd rather live the best, unhealthiest life, and hope I'm dead dead from other causes before I can cause so much pain to the ones I love.
- bdamm 9y ago
  Indeed. Personally I am confused by those wishing to die in their sleep. I'd prefer to be totally awake, cognitively aware that I'm dying. People think I'm joking when I say I'd like a violent death, if the alternative is Alzheimer's. The trouble is a) knowing that I have it and b) having the drive to annihilate myself before I no longer can do it myself. Fortunately I live in a state where suicide is legal and available by pill, and that's a great option if I can't build up the drive to rig my death some other way.
  - ohhhlol 9y ago

jksmith 9y ago

I'd fly to Africa, walk out into a herd of Cape Buffalo, and slap one of those bastards right in the face as hard as I could. Why people want to live forever is beyond me.

rhaps0dy 9y ago
You might want to look for a less painful and less expensive suicide method, and then proceed to not suffer and donate the money saved to charity. Wouldn't you prefer, if you could, to live for longer free of Alzheimer's?
- jksmith 9y ago
  >You might want to look for a less painful and less expensive suicide method Well sure, at least regarding the pain part. My preference would be massive heart attack at the peak of sex. >then proceed to not suffer and donate the money saved to charity. Been doing the charity thing all my adult life. Choosing when and how I die is a control of premium value, however selfish. Quantity of life doesn't interest me as much as quality of life.
  - gitisstillhere 9y ago
    > Quantity of life doesn't interest me as much as quality of life. I really do wish hedonism and epicureanism got more respect—after all, the greatest joys in life are often communion—sharing food, experiences, stories. Only very shallow interpretations focus on physical pleasures.
adventured 9y ago
> Why people want to live forever is beyond me. I have the same reaction when someone says they only want to live ~80 years. What a terrible outcome when the universe is so massive. There's so much to see, do, try, experience and learn. There are trillions of galaxies out there and every one of them is different. I could easily happily fill thousands of years just in our solar system. I'd like to live long enough to explore other solar systems and galaxies and yet the earth by itself is far too large to ever meaningfully explore in a few lifetimes, much less one. I simply want to see what all is out there. Now, granted, plenty of people consider that a very selfish desire (based on a scarce resources premise) and I'll openly admit to that. It's about as selfish a desire as there can be. I'm ok with that, it's also not a desire that can be actual (not in my lifetime anyway). As such it's equivalent to wanting to be able to fly around like Superman. My desire to learn and experience more will never halt, as such my desire to live an extremely long time will never cease.

ams6110 9y ago

Get my affairs in order, then arrange for a quick death. I have no desire to become a burden on my children or anyone else.

mythrwy 9y ago
Due to a bug in our system we inadvertently provided some of our users with results from other patients. Point being, watch the weather and plan, fine, but don't become certain until you see rain falling from the sky.
petercooper 9y ago
I sympathize with this viewpoint, but I need to play devil's advocate a little, to highlight the problems with predictive diagnoses: Most Americans with this genotype go on to develop late-onset dementia. Let's say "most" is 90%. Let's also say the accuracy of this test is (and I don't know if this is realistic or not) 98%. Does the 11.8% chance of no dementia on a positive result give me enough to follow through with a plan? For me, no, though I appreciate attitudes would vary.

LordHumungous 9y ago

Why would you ever want to know this.

intro-b 9y ago
for me, using 23andme and other components of genetic testing related to health risk factors (all four of my grandparents passed away from or are currently battling cancer) helped me make some long-term decisions regarding my habits and lifestyle, and it did influence my decision to go into a healthcare-related field as a career. I like to think of it more as "I'd like to know what I'm up against," rather than "I have a morbid curiosity about what non-accident deaths will most likely happen to me"
alakin 9y ago
because you could spend a tiny amount of effort/time to search for a newly available treatment to prevent the worst case scenario

hourislate 9y ago

I know genetically for some this may be unavoidable but perhaps by living a healthy life you could delay it to a point where you would pass away before it took over. Obesity, Insulin Resistance, have been linked to this disease/condition. Maybe regular fasting, exercise, taking supplements (Lions Mane come to mind), CBD oil, coconut oil, medications like Metaformin, etc might help. It would be worth a shot since there are no real alternatives at the moment.

0xcde4c3db 9y ago
That might have the opposite effect, since Alzheimer's rates go up ~exponentially after age 65 or so.

llamataboot 9y ago

I have this variant. AMA (It hasn't been traumatic knowledge for me -- anyone with severe dementia in their biological family knows that there is some heredity there, whether or not they know they have this particular gene variant)

bri3d 9y ago
I also learned I have one variant (not two) and was already fairly aware as well due to my family history. I already live as healthy a life as I can and focus on enjoying it. Can't really do much of anything else. To me the greatest benefit of this knowledge is being able to prepare loved ones and family for the inevitable - beyond that, there's not really much to be done and the knowledge hasn't really impacted me much.
- Retric 9y ago
  Their are some financial implications as to how much and what long term care insurance to have.
  - fencepost 9y ago
    Regarding long term care, I have a relative who ended up on disability in their 40s and I pushed them hard to get an appropriate supplemental plan with Medicare to be sure they'd have coverage - eligibility to purchase that coverage is only for 6 months when you first get on disability, then wait until 65. It basically came down to "with your issues, what are the odds you'll need to spend a few weeks in rehab after a bad fall within the next 20-25 years?"
shazam 9y ago
How old are you? Would you have wanted to find out if you were in your 20's?
- llamataboot 9y ago
  I'm in my 30s and I found out in my 30s. I'm glad to have found out, but it hasn't really changed my life. As an above poster said, to me it's akin to saying "you're going to die someday, live a good life and take care of yourself"

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

miguelrochefort 9y ago

Soon™

otakucode 9y ago

Does 'simple' mean 'you can buy it in Amazon and perform it in the privacy of your own home'? Because needing to book an office visit with someone who has had about a decade of medical training just to get the test done is not exactly 'simple' in my book. And sharing those results with the increasingly invasive systems of insurance and government and otherwise doesn't fill me with anticipation. Overall I definitely do want to know, though. If I know that I am highly likely to contract dementia I can start doing things to attempt to combat it, or at least plan 5 or so years before that point to begin using hard drugs. You don't get any money back if you leave your body in good shape. I'd prefer to slide it smoking and smouldering across the finish line, missing both bumpers and with only one headlight hanging out. Then explode.

frankling_ 9y ago
Nicely put. However, it does take some excellent judgement to avoid an extended crawl across the last few meters.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
JamesBarney 9y ago
It's a heck of a lot simpler than a brain autopsy, or a spinal tap. And the real breakthrough isn't about people being able to know their demise, it's that they're are a lot of things that we suspect from a epidemiological perspective lower rates of alzheimer's but which have no effect once the disease is progressed.
jashper 9y ago
I for one will heartily join you at that finish line... hopefully a bit farther than we think it may be.
of 9y ago
Have you seen Atlas Shrugged?

arikr 9y ago

Does anyone know an ETA on when this may be usable?

jjawssd 9y ago

Can Alzheimer's disease also be known as Type 3 diabetes? "Brain insulin resistance (diabetes) is very much like regular diabetes," de la Monte said. "Since the underlying problems continue to be just about the same, we believe that the development of new therapies would be applicable for all types of diabetes, including Alzheimer's disease, which we refer to as Type III diabetes." Suzanne M. de la Monte, Edward Re, Lisa Longato, Ming Tong. Dysfunctional Pro-Ceramide, ER Stress, and Insulin/IGF Signaling Networks with Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, June 22, 2012, supplement; DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111728 Same author four years prior: "brain insulin resistance is sufficient to cause AD and that additional significant abnormalities, such as ongoing DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, are required." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/

trendia 9y ago
Your last quote is the opposite of what the paper says. The authors write that insulin resistance is not sufficient to cause AD and that other things are required: > Therefore, T2DM and obesity may contribute to, i.e., serve as cofactors of AD but by themselves are probably not sufficient to cause AD. Moreover, the findings in the T2DM/obesity model indicate the unlikelihood [emphasis here] that brain insulin resistance is sufficient to cause AD and that additional significant abnormalities, such as ongoing DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, are required.

chiefalchemist 9y ago

Pardon the editorial (I realize it's not very HN) but this type of fear mongering fluff does the public more harm than good. The point being epigenetic is real. It does the general public more harm than good to perpetuate the myth that they (via lifestyle, diet, etc.) have no say in their genetic destiny. No doubt sometimes some of these genes really matter. But often they are dormant notes of what might be if you don't take care of yourself. p.s. I just finished reading "Grain Brain." Regardless of what you think about gluten, he makes very strong case for: where you take your body, your brain is going to follow. He mentions Alzheimer's often.

Danihan 9y ago
>p.s. I just finished reading "Grain Brain." Regardless of what you think about gluten, It's not just gluten. Look into enrichment. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*pBs90R1LfdGOfpTS.png https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*pBs90R1LfdGOfpTS.... Most people are actually sensitive to the additives added to fortified wheat sold in the States, especially Vitamin B[0] and Iron[1]. [0]: https://freetheanimal.com/2016/05/enrichment-promotes-everything.html https://freetheanimal.com/2016/05/enrichment-promotes-everyt... [1]: https://freetheanimal.com/2015/06/enrichment-theory-everything.html https://freetheanimal.com/2015/06/enrichment-theory-everythi...
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  Yup. Agreed. It's just some people are fond of latching on to anything "...gluten..." and then using that to push back againt. I didn't want to get into that politics, and wanted to recommend it as a brain hack type of manual. At least that's how I see it.

mhkool 9y ago

I am getting a bit irritated when I read the news about Alzheimers since for a couple of years there is a treatment which was developed by Dr Dale Bredesen. Dr Bredesen looked at all factors which were linked with Alzheimers and combined many together into a treatment strategy. He also defined 3 subtypes of Alzheimers. The result is that his treatment cures 9 out 10 patients with mild Alzheimers. The fact that Bill Gates invests in new drug treatments is insane.