Lifeboat Foundation

What it means to be conscious is more than just a philosophical question. Researchers continue to investigate how conscious experience arises from the electrochemical activity of the human brain. The answer has important implications for the way brain health is understood—from coma, wherein a person is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment, to surgical anesthesia, to the altered thought processes of schizophrenia.

Recent research suggests that there’s no one location in the brain that causes consciousness, pointing to a network phenomenon. However, tracing the various linkages between regions in the brain networks that give rise to awareness and wakefulness has been elusive.

A new approach using functional MRI, an imaging technique that allows you to see and measure brain activity through changes in blood flow over time, provides new insight into how we describe and study conscious states.

What percentage of your battery is used…

AMHERST, Mass. – 5G wireless technology is just starting to take off worldwide, but a new study is already speculating on the future of 6G! Researchers from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst say, unlike older technology, 6G could end up using people as antennas.

Continue reading “6G wireless technology could use humans as a power source, study explains” »

MRNA vaccines helped us through the covid-19 pandemic—but they could also help defend against many other infectious diseases, offer universal protection against flu, and even treat cancer.

A company has donated 350 of Smit’s, the biomechanical engineer behind the design, 3D-printed prosthetic hands to war victims in Ukraine.

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) researchers designed laser-cutting 3D-printed prosthetic hands for Ukranian war victims. Thanks to laser-cutting technology, war victims get their prosthetic limbs more easily. These prosthetic hands are in use in India, and Indian company Vispala donated 350 of Smit’s 3D-printed prosthetic hands to war victims in Ukraine, according to the TU Delft.

Designed by biomedical engineer Gerwin Smit, the so-called “Hundred Dollar Hand” is very cheap to produce. Smit’s artificial hand offers a sturdy and trustworthy option because 80 percent of persons who require a prosthetic hand reside in nations with few resources. Delft-produced 350 prosthetic hands donated to Ukrainian War wictims.

The researchers looked at randomized, controlled intervention trials evaluating 27 different types of antioxidant supplements. They found strong evidence that several offered cardiovascular benefits. These included omega-3 fatty acid, which decreased mortality from cardiovascular disease; folic acid, which lowered stroke risk; and coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant sometimes marketed as CoQ10, which decreased all-cause mortality. Omega-6 fatty acid, L-citrulline, L-arginine, quercetin, melatonin, curcumin, Vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), catechin, flavanol, and genistein also showed evidence of reducing cardiovascular risk.

Not all supplements were beneficial. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and selenium showed no effect on long-term cardiovascular disease outcomes or type-2 diabetes risk. And beta carotene supplements increased all-cause mortality.

Healthy dietary patterns are rich in micronutrients, but their influence on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks has not been systematically quantified.

Continue reading “Micronutrient Supplementation to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk” »

Aubrey De Grey discusses the progress and potential of therapies related to his ideas on anti-aging medicine, including the four therapies that will be tested in a mouse rejuvenation trial. He also shares his thoughts on partnering with organizations and individuals in the field, integrating AI into his work, and the importance of structure in maximizing impact. Aubrey de Grey discusses the potential for Yamanaka factors to be used in organ rejuvenation, and the role of transcription factors in creating induced pluripotent stem cells. He also provides advice for those interested in getting involved in the field and shares his views on time management and productivity. Aubrey De Grey discusses the potential for reversing the pathology of aging to address mechanical issues and mentions promising research being conducted by MAIA Biotechnology on cancerous cells that express telomerase. He also expresses his optimism about the possibility of reaching “longevity escape velocity” within the next 15 years.

Youtube:
Aubrey De Grey links.
https://twitter.com/aubreydegrey?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctw…r%5Eauthor.
https://www.levf.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-de-grey-24260b/

Continue reading “Aubrey De Grey: longevity escape velocity, longevity, mouse rejuvenation, Altos Labs, Yamanaka factor” »

The reason your three-pound brain doesn’t feel heavy is because it floats in a reservoir of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which flows in and around your brain and spinal cord. This liquid barrier between your brain and skull protects it from a hit to your head and bathes your brain in nutrients.

But the CSF has another critical, if less known, function: it also provides immune protection to the brain. Yet, this function hasn’t been well studied.

A Northwestern Medicine study of CSF has discovered its role in cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery provides a new clue to the process of neurodegeneration, said study lead author David Gate, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

A new study by Burke Neurological Institute (BNI), Weill Cornell Medicine, finds that activation of MAP2K signaling by genetic engineering or non-invasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) promotes corticospinal tract (CST) axon sprouting and functional regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice.

RTMS is a noninvasive technique that evokes an electrical field in brain tissue via electromagnetic induction. While an increasing body of evidence suggests that rTMS applied over motor cortex may be beneficial for functional recovery in SCI patients, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie rTMS’ beneficial effects remains unclear.

A new study published in Science Translation Medicine showed that high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) activated MAP2K signaling and enhanced axonal regeneration and functional recovery, suggesting that rTMS might be a valuable treatment option for SCI individuals.

Exercise and physical activity reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It has been observed that an active individual is at a 30% to 40% lower risk of CVD. However, previous cross-sectional studies have failed to determine whether exercise has a significant impact on expediting coronary atherosclerosis and plaque morphology. A recent Circulation journal paper has focused on investigating the relationship between exercise volume and intensity and the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged and older male athletes.

Study: Exercise Volume Versus Intensity and the Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes: Findings From the MARC-2 Study. Image Credit: sciencepics / Shutterstock.