4 ms·

I just turned 27. I've been told we learned more about the brain in the 90s than all previous history combined. My hope is the given the amount of research goin

I just turned 27. I've been told we learned more about the brain in the 90s than all previous history combined. My hope is the given the amount of research going into myelin breakdown because of diseases like MS, by the time I'm 39, that date can be pushed back a bit. Escape velocity with respect to anti-aging is a delightful idea.

jodrellblank 18y ago
The article says they found a striking correlation - I wonder how one gets to be one of the outlying data points (on the good side)? What's the betting it can be affected with dietary changes?
- nazgulnarsil 18y ago
  I would bet on Omega-3 fatty acids. no proof, but enough correlation to raise my eyebrow.
  - ivankirigin 18y ago
    I would bet on advancement in drugs used to treat MS. They would be applied more broadly in short order.
qwph 18y ago
My hope is... that date can be pushed back a bit. You and me both - else I have just over 5 years til my brain peaks.
- queensnake 18y ago
  'The Brain Trust Program', by McCleary, a neurosurgeon tells what is known that you can do now. Not that neurosurgery repairs myelin, just that he keeps up with the literature.
  - icey 18y ago
    Have you read this yourself; and if so, how strongly would your recommend it? Has anyone else here read this? Does it stand up to close inspection?
    - queensnake 18y ago
      Wow, I don't check my comments, that's one of a few ways that HN could benefit by borrowing from Reddit. Yes, I've read it. I'd recommend it, not that I've noticed any difference but, I'm old enough that I'm willing to take some pains wrt my brain. Exercise is a big one, btw. But yeah, it should be cheap or, even in a library. I remember there were a couple similar books that came out around the same time. But this biochemically based one, was what I picked. As for the guy being a charlatan or something, calling it a 'program' is just his set of recommendations. He's got ~30 pages of journal citations, he was a neurosurgeon so he had to keep up. This kind of nutrition isn't an established science yet, you have to scrounge papers. If you're curious, if you stumble across it in a bookstore, where he talks about Acetyl-L-Carnitine is pages 104-105. To quote him: (after much praise in general for ALC) "ALC also appears to retard the age-related drop in nerve growth factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps rebuild new brain and nerve tissues. In addition, in structures that deteriorate over time, such as the myelin sheath, ALC appears to slow and perhaps even reverse the degenerative process - at least in mice". .. rec dosage: 100-500mg / day (1500-2000 has been used in Alzheimer's patients without side effects). It's expensive though, US $37 for 120 x 500mg. But /all/ books put exercise way up on the list; it can help regenerate .. I forget which brain structure but, they're all good :) But _you_ probably won't see this reply either :/

jodrellblank 18y ago

The article says they found a striking correlation - I wonder how one gets to be one of the outlying data points (on the good side)? What's the betting it can be affected with dietary changes?

nazgulnarsil 18y ago
I would bet on Omega-3 fatty acids. no proof, but enough correlation to raise my eyebrow.
- ivankirigin 18y ago
  I would bet on advancement in drugs used to treat MS. They would be applied more broadly in short order.

qwph 18y ago

My hope is... that date can be pushed back a bit. You and me both - else I have just over 5 years til my brain peaks.

queensnake 18y ago
'The Brain Trust Program', by McCleary, a neurosurgeon tells what is known that you can do now. Not that neurosurgery repairs myelin, just that he keeps up with the literature.
- icey 18y ago
  Have you read this yourself; and if so, how strongly would your recommend it? Has anyone else here read this? Does it stand up to close inspection?
  - queensnake 18y ago
    Wow, I don't check my comments, that's one of a few ways that HN could benefit by borrowing from Reddit. Yes, I've read it. I'd recommend it, not that I've noticed any difference but, I'm old enough that I'm willing to take some pains wrt my brain. Exercise is a big one, btw. But yeah, it should be cheap or, even in a library. I remember there were a couple similar books that came out around the same time. But this biochemically based one, was what I picked. As for the guy being a charlatan or something, calling it a 'program' is just his set of recommendations. He's got ~30 pages of journal citations, he was a neurosurgeon so he had to keep up. This kind of nutrition isn't an established science yet, you have to scrounge papers. If you're curious, if you stumble across it in a bookstore, where he talks about Acetyl-L-Carnitine is pages 104-105. To quote him: (after much praise in general for ALC) "ALC also appears to retard the age-related drop in nerve growth factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps rebuild new brain and nerve tissues. In addition, in structures that deteriorate over time, such as the myelin sheath, ALC appears to slow and perhaps even reverse the degenerative process - at least in mice". .. rec dosage: 100-500mg / day (1500-2000 has been used in Alzheimer's patients without side effects). It's expensive though, US $37 for 120 x 500mg. But /all/ books put exercise way up on the list; it can help regenerate .. I forget which brain structure but, they're all good :) But _you_ probably won't see this reply either :/