The Aging Brain

This study from the Neurobiology of Aging highlights the significance of white matter in the aging process of the brain. The news item can be read here. White matter is the extensive sheath that surrounds the long and not so long axons of nerve cells. The presence of white matter markedly improves the speed at which signals can traverse through long axons. The process of myelination is long and we can in our late 20's or even early 30's before this process is completed.



Myelin creation is not a one off event, it is subject to continual degradation and renewal. The cells that produce myeline are called oligodendrocytes, a type of glial cell. Unfortunately oligodendrocyte cells demonstrate some particular vulnerabilities to insult. In those with Multiple Sclerosis, a common autoimmune condition, the immune processes responds to various "danger signals" emitted by oligodendrocytes and this can establish an ongoing destruction of these cells and myelin production. The initial triggers for this condition remain unknown but there are a number of strategies that Multiple Sclerosis sufferers can undertake which may alleviate the progress of the condition.

As we age the balance between myelin degradation and renewal falls out of kilter, the result being that we start losing the myelin covering. Of interest is the association between dementias and changes in white matter, it may even be the case that in some individuals the destruction of myelin is so extensive as to initiate a series of inflammatory processes that in turn induce dementias.

There is an important lesson here. The brain controls the body, maximising cerebral health is critical to maintaining good health as we age.

Lipofuscin And Aging

Lipofuscin is the deposition of waste products in the cell that are not degraded. The critical factor seems to be rate at which proteins and lipids are degraded by the various "house keeping" functions in the cell. In these days the emphasis on the dynamics of aging is typically excessive oxidation events and lipofuscin receives little attention. Lipofuscin is something that needs to be addressed because as lipofuscin deposits increase the cell becomes increasingly unable to do its job.

In the graphic below I have extracted a table from a very old study. It highlights the huge increase in lipofuscin aggregation with age. They used acetyl l carnitine has a therapeutic intervention and the results were quite good but only at very high dosages. Other and much more recent research has found that acetyl l carnitine can also play an important role in preventing Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). In those studies they created a compound called Phototrop, a combination of acetyl L carnitine, omega 3 fatty acids, and co-enzyme Q10.

Word of warning: you should always use alpha lipoic acid with ALC because ALC increases mitochondrial function and mitochondria are the key region where oxidants are formed.

The table below is from

Japan J Pharmacol, 38, 365-71(1988)

Another worrying study concerning mobile phones

There are now a number of studies pointing to the dangers of mobile phones. Of particular concern is the widespread and frequent use of mobile phones amongst teenagers. This study reveals a disturbing quality about the microwave radiation emitted from mobile phones: the markers of oxidative stress, MDA(malondialdehyde) and XO(xanthine oxidase) remain up to 40 days after exposure to the microwave radiation in a rat model. One factor causing this sustained expression of inflammatory markers was the persistent reduction in catalase, a key antioxidant pathway in our cells.

Previous research has found increased risk of brain tumours in the young. While the telecommunications industry strenously denies any danger from using mobile phones increasing research is painting a very different picture. Some authorities have even claimed that the widespread use of mobile phones is paving the way for an epidemic of brain tumours.

Thanks to Dr. Lefever for forwarding this study to me.

The full study can be downloaded here.

Electric Eels and Electronic Implants

This study from Nature Nanotechnology is fascinating. They claim to have found a way to model the cells in electric eels that create electricity so that artificial cells can be used to power medical implant devices.

The news item can be read here.

Financial Risk Taking and Testosterone

Previous studies have found that the higher one's position in the social ladder, the higher the Testosterone levels tend to be. In light of this study then it is not surprising that we find ourselves in this current financial predicament because financiers, for reasons which escape this humble mind, earn extraordinarily high incomes. Think about it, there are any other number of professions that should be paid more because the people in these professions have much greater responsibility and experience much greater stress than those in the finance industry. Those poor souls can't go running home to mama(the Central Banks) when they stuff up, they go broke. Financiers go running to mama and expect a handout for being naughty boys. This has to stop and I hope this crisis makes everyone take a long hard look at the financial industry.

Here is a news release on the study.

The Future of Global Warming

It has always been my belief that we will never sufficiently reduce carbon dioxide output to address global warming. The simple fact is that we must find ways to capture existing CO2 AND reduce carbon dioxide output. This technology is amongst many currently under investigation.

Supplements for Osteoarthitis - Conflicting Results Again

I've seen this a number of times with various over the counter supplements. Some studies paint a good picture, others show equivocal results, and other studies claim the supplement is a dud. There is far too much hype concerning the purported value of all those supplements out there but the research is indicating that some supplements can be of great value not only in addressing specific pathologies but also general health. For example, Juvenon (see picture on the right) is a supplement compound backed up by credible research. While I haven't tried juvenon itself I have tried to the two components of it. It took a while for the effects to kick in but it definitely worked.

Osteoarthritis is a very common condition and many alternative therapists advocate the use of the supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Studies have been mixed but mostly negative. This latest study suggests a mild favourable effect for glucosamine.

How does the consumer know what to do in these circumstances? Here are some guidelines:

1. Look for reliable well conducted clinical trials on the supplement. If these don't exist then be very careful. Typically I will never advocate the use of a compound that has not been subject to clinical trials.
2. NEVER trust the sellers of a product to provide reliable information. NEVER NEVER NEVER.
3. Ask others who have used the supplement for their impression of it. This may help but remember individual responses to various drugs and supplements vary so widely that there is no guarantee what works for one person will work for you. This, incidentally, is also true of clinical trials. That something has worked in a clinical trial is no guarantee it will work for you. Remember, clinical trials are statistically based and hence the results apply to the treatment group, the results may not even be applicable to individuals within the treatment group.
4. As long as you are convinced the supplement is safe and even in the absence of clinical trials there is no harm in giving it a go. It may just work for you even work clinical trials make low claims to efficacy or even state no efficacy. I appreciate this sounds contradictory but we are individuals and sometimes, even if by placebo effect, people do find benefits in supplements that have no scientific support for their use.

Vitamin C May Inhibit Chemotherapy

For some time there has been a controversy regarding the use of antioxidants during chemotherapy. Concerns have been raised because antioxidants protects cells against stress and so taking large doses during chemo may impede the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

This study appears to bear that out. What they found is that vitamin C, both in vitro and in a mouse model, allowed the tumour cells to survive by protecting the mitochondria. That makes a great deal of sense because mitochondria are a "gateway" for death signals and anything that preserves mitochondrial function typically helps keep the cell alive.

Sounds simple but isn't, there is also the possibility that in some cancers activating certain functions of mitochondria, in particular the release of pro-apoptotic factors, can activate cell death pathways. Additionally some studies have found that high doses of intravenous vitamin C can be effective in killing cancer cells. What a dilemma, take antioxidants to try and prevent healthy cells from chemotherapy damage and run the risk of helping the cancer cells to survive.

Ironically part of the problem here lies in the singular tense word "cancer". Even cancer originating in the same body tissue of the same person may be a different type of cancer. Because of this, strategies to target cancer are never going to constitute a single magic bullet, we will always have to tailor the strategy to the specific type of cell present in the tumour. So in some instances antioxidants may not present a problem because in some cancers the mitochondria are disabled or poorly functioning. In other cancers improving mitochondrial function may induce death signals like APAF1, BAX, BAD. Even then it can become complicated because some cancers have high expression of the small heat shock protein, hsp27. This protein can bind these death signals so preventing cell death.

Just to confuse the picture there is clinical evidence that the intravenous administration of vitamin C can kill cancer cells. The reasons behind this are unclear but it is known that high doses of vitamin C, particularly in the presence of free iron, can drive oxidative processes via Haber-Weiss and Fenton reactions, thereby inducing cell death. To achieve such high doses though intravenous injection is required because the body will not absorb large amounts of vitamin C orally. Hence all those people taking large doses of oral vitamin C are wasting their money. For a look at the use of intravenous vitamin C read of this article. A short comment in the Canadian Medical Journal puts forward the case for using intravenous vitamin C in cancer therapy.

It is never going to be easy! So when you see all those internet advertisements proclaiming a universal cure for cancer don't go there. It simply isn't true, each type of cancer requires a different strategy. That is why the success in cancer treatments is not uniform. Great strides have been made in treating some cancers while other types, for example brain tumours, virtually no progress has been made in 20 years. In all this remember what Mencken once wrote:

"For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is
always wrong"

The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms - Margaret Boden

Professor Margaret Boden is a cutting edge thinker in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and creativity. Recently I stumbled upon her recent publications which prompted me to re-examine some ideas about creativity. I was fascinated to find that even to this day she sets as required reading the above text. For a preview of The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms click here.

This is a legendary text that should be read by all who are interested in the nature of creativity. Be warned though, this book will not provide prescriptions or rules for being creative; the author is far too intelligent and wise to lead her readers into nonsense. I read this text in 1998, it is one of the few books I have kept in my once extensive library. In these days I prefer everything to be computer based because with Google Desktop search and the brilliant Infoselect program I never loose information on my computer. The ability to track down and quickly access information is an important component of creativity.

One of the most striking concepts to emerge out of this text is that of "conceptual space". While doing some research for this post I noted that Boden is still invoking this concept in her recent books and lectures. It is a wonderful little concept that is part and parcel of my arsenal of cognitive tools. That is somewhat paradoxical because in my areas of interest there are so many conceptual spaces that I can and will keep wandering across for the rest of my days. Over recent years I have come to appreciate that creative thinking in this Big Land is 99.999999% blood, sweat, and tears and the rest is luck. That is quite common, in fact creative thinking in many realms is incredibly difficult and time consuming.

One of the fascinating aspects of the concept of "conceptual space" is that it provides insight into how discoveries can quickly proceed and then come to a standstill. As new spaces are opened up discoveries can happen quickly because there are so many good opportunities to be had. It is like a gold rush, the first in pick up the nuggets lying here there and everywhere, those following behind have to search much more harder to find the nuggets. This also explains why "mavericks" can, early on, make such huge gains. If you look at the history of science mavericks tend to succeed early in the development of the science, as the field matures mavericks, lacking the training, knowledge and expertise that comes with years of education, tend to fade into the past.

Conceptual spaces are bounded. This is a very important point. The boundaries specify the search radius and also determine the types of solutions that can be found. Einstein touched on this when he stated:

You can't solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.

Note his use of the word "level". In physics that is important because they are seeking a Theory of Everything. In most domains however the idea of "levels" is misleading, Boden's concept of space is much more appropriate. Interestingly, as the physicists Lee Smolin and Paul Davies have stated, the idea of a "Theory of Everything"is eerily reminiscent of God.

There is a tendency for people to speak about creativity as "pushing the envelope". This is also misleading. In many intellectual domains we don't have to push anything except our perseverance, there is plenty of unexplored territory. Phrases like "pushing the envelope" encourage a view that creativity is about breaking the rules and being extreme. Genuine creativity is something entirely different. As Boden states:

But far from being the antithesis of creativity, constraints on thinking are what make it possible. In short, to drop all current constraints and refrain from providing new ones is to invite not creativity, but confusion.

It is the partial continuity of constraints which enables a new idea to be recognized, by author and audience alike, as a creative contribution.

Her comments here touch on what I was referring to earlier. As a conceptual space is explored it soon emerges that there are constraints on one's thinking. One cannot abandon previous concepts simply to be creative, one must have very good reasons for abandoning long held concepts. It is not enough to abandon an idea simply because it gets in the way of creative thinking.

Boden also strongly emphasises the need for persistent effort and patience:

Even Mozart needed twelve years of concentrated practice before he could compose a major work, and much the same seems to be true of other composers.

This commitment involves not only passionate interest, but self-confidence too. A person needs a healthy self-respect to pursue novel ideas, and to make mistakes, despite criticism from others. Self-doubt there may be, but it cannot always win the day. Breaking generally accepted rules, or even stretching them, takes confidence. Continuing to do so, in the face of scepticism and scorn, takes even more.

However she does not exclude the need for the right attitude towards creativity:

Like much play, creativity is often open-ended, with no particular goal or aim.
... Likewise, the artist or scientist may explore a certain style of thinking so as to uncover its potential and identify its limits.

This reminds of a wonderful quote from that wise old Greek Heraclitus:

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

The above is not intended to suggest that creativity is solely about hard work and learning. It is obvious that Eureka! moments are important and most of us have experienced the same at various times during our lives. At least I hope most of us have. When seeking creative ideas it is important to maintain a balance. There are times when no amount of further study and conscious thinking will lead us to a solution. The mathematician Hadamard claimed that were 4 stages in his problem solving: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. Surely all of us have experienced those occasions when the solution to a problem arises in the most unexpected circumstances. I remember an interview with the Nobel Laureate physicist Roger Penrose. He had been struggling with a particularly difficult problem for a long time. Walking with a friend on the street, the solution came to him just as he stepped off the curb to cross the street.

Such anecdotal stories are too common to dismiss as mere co-incidence, there are too many stories of people finding solutions to problems in such a manner. A word of caution though: Revelation comes only to the prepared mind. Forget that "muse" nonsense, people who experience Eureka moments have almost invariably been working long and hard on the problem. Often they have completely explored the available conceptual space, the breakthrough comes when they stumble upon undiscovered country. So it is not surprising that Einstein once quipped:

How do I work? I grope.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

The below statement is from: Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius, Michael Michalko

When someone asked Einstein what was the difference between him and other people he replied that if other people were asked to find a needles in haystack they would find one then give up, but he would keep looking."

Creative people tend to be like that. Show them something new under the sun and you can almost see the cogs start turning. They are quizzical, fascinated by new things, want to understand these, what these things can be used for, sometimes just to understand why something works. Not all of us can be like that. In my opinion too many of us are often forced to be too practical and too concerned with outcomes rather than play. It is tragic to see so many people have lost their sense of childish fun and enthusiasm. We are taught to "grow up", "behave", and "be sensible". All that reminds me of Eric Olthwaite in Ripping Yarns when his neighbour said to him, "You're a boring little tit."

As to why some people have have retained that sense of fun and exploration I do not really know, though the work of Frank Sulloway may provide some insight into this matter, the truth is education can damage our curiousity. Too much of modern education is conducted in a highly competitive environment where wrong answers are punished. Yet creativity invariably involves making lots of mistakes, sometimes disastrous ones. Fear of being wrong kills creativity.

So if you are interested in improving your creative potential this book is certainly a good starting point. The text is still available and you should also consider her recent texts on the subject. I would love to add those to my reading list but I have already downloaded research articles with circa one hundred unread. Hmmm, now what was that about perseverance?

A Bright Side to Statins

In my earlier post, The Dark Side of Statins, I mentioned research indicating that statins may impede muscle repair. This latest finding claims that statins promote DNA repair enzymes and in so doing help protect the endothelium(inner lining of the blood vessels). The enzyme here is one involved in repairing what are referred to as "double strand breaks". These types of breaks are very damaging to the chromosomes because with the breaks bases fall away from the ends of the chromosome, so the more quickly this and other enzymes are brought into play the better the outcome. The news release can be read here.

It is important to remember that this study addressed the health and aging rate of cells in unhealthy arteries, which tend to age much faster than healthy arteries. Whether or not this statin will confer any substantial benefit to those with healthy arteries is a different question. Given the evidence that statins can induce side effects such as impaired muscle repair and there is also some evidence of cognitive issues arising with their use, there is little sense in advocating wide scale statin use for the general public. Remember the wonderful aspirin? Or how about the wonderful NSAID drugs, which turned out to be killing people and causing all manner of problems? These are great drugs but these are drugs to address specific pathologies and even then the long term use of the same may create more problems than those apparently solved.

We need to exercise some caution here. There is an emerging view that vast numbers of the public should be placed on statin drugs yet the real reason for this is because vast numbers of the public are leading lives destined to induce atherosclerosis and a host of other ailments. Claims that simply popping a statin will stave off the consequences of a poor lifestyle, even if these do have some validity, must be set against the enormous costs of drugs, the known side effects of drugs, and the unknown long term consequences of drugs.

All developed countries are faced with a number of huge health related issues. Health costs are out of control, hospitals are over crowded, and with an aging population the health burden is going to increase. We would all like to have our cake and eat it too. Eventually we will be forced to eat an apple, go for a run, and hopefully the medicine cabinet will remain empty for a very long time.

If you wish to maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system there is no great secret. It is as simple as regular light exercise, even just brisk walking, avoiding all drugs, legal or otherwise(excepting a couple of glasses of red wine with the evening meal), good stress management skills, and a healthy diet. Yeah, that's simple, but why can't I do it?