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Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

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Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#271

Post by darkclouds »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #164
LoganDark wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that windows typically block the majority of the radiation that allows you to make vitamin D, so even if the sun hits you every day through your window, it's still not a good substitute for a sunny walk every once in a while. My doctor told me to go out at noon every day, but anything is better than nothing.

Walking doesn't help me for 8 months of the year: There simply isn't strong enough sun to help. December days are only 4-5 hours long anyway. So, I was told to take a supplement from September to May. My doctor told me to get 15 minutes a day from May through the end of August - and these should be walks with at least the arms exposed (Am in Norway, so this isn't always possible for me, the immigrant). Walking alone…

I bought a load of UV-B flo tubes with a desert profile and rigged them up over my bed which would go upto the ceiling and then they would come down in order to bask under for hours. I could control how far away from me the lights were so I could move have them closer to me for a quick 30mins or have them further away for spending 2-3hrs underneath them.

I'd go to sleep under them, just dont have them too close to you though otherwise you will burn but never tan.

https://www.reptilecentre.com/collections/t5-uvb-fluorescent...

I'd also read this website entirely, its got loads of useful info. http://www.uvguide.co.uk/lightingsurveyintro.htm

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#272

Post by stevesimmons »

swalsh wrote: post #36
nottorp wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exercise tends to help.

My kids have started taking swim lessons at the Y, so i've been sneaking up stairs to run a mile during their lesson. I've thought about strength training etc, but I have no idea what i'm doing on those machines. Can't say I feel any different, but it is enjoyable.

> I have no idea what i'm doing on those machines.

Book some regular sessions with a personal trainer. He/she will give you a balanced basic routine and teach you good form.

I was fortunate to have an excellent PT when I first ventured into the gym age 19, a skinny, awkward, scared teenager. The structure of that gym program is still the basis of what I do 30 years later. Different exercises get incorporated, depending on my goals at the time, and variations in # of reps and sets. But still the same general approach.

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#273

Post by bendbro »

Tycho wrote: post #116
bendbro wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After my startup failed and I broke up with my girlfriend, my cognition massively changed: I was less creative, less quick, and I could see it reduce my ability to code. Otherwise, I lost libido, had paranoia in social interaction, and alcohol or marijuana would cause me paranoia. When I would ride my motorcycle on curvy roads, or when I would play a racing game or read a book, I couldn't get into a flow anymore. Thi…

That sounds like textbook depression (although you didn’t mention feeling down explicitly). During that time, is there any chance you weren’t eating enough? Did you lose weight?

Yeah, I found too I wasn't eating enough. I estimates I was eating around 1500-2000 calories regularly and I never really felt hungry. Once I started forcing myself to eat larger meals I felt a lot better and started feeling hunger again.

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#274

Post by Etheryte »

mdp2021 wrote: post #10
Etheryte wrote: post #4

...in mice.

> Bayer said that aging in mice and humans both decrease a process known as S-nitrosylation, the modification of a specific brain proteins including CaMKII

While this is true, the same protein, even the same gene, often serve different purposes in different species. So even if we figure a problem out in mice down to the gene level it might not yield any results in humans. That's also the reason why the majority of drugs that have a positive outcome when trialed on mice don't yield positive results in human trials.

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#275

Post by bendbro »

inconceivable wrote: post #140
bendbro wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After my startup failed and I broke up with my girlfriend, my cognition massively changed: I was less creative, less quick, and I could see it reduce my ability to code. Otherwise, I lost libido, had paranoia in social interaction, and alcohol or marijuana would cause me paranoia. When I would ride my motorcycle on curvy roads, or when I would play a racing game or read a book, I couldn't get into a flow anymore. Thi…

fyi, this can happen in a successful startup/business also. this happened to me when i was stressed out of my mind and stuck doing work i hate for customers i didn't want after 10 years of running a biz. it took a breakup, a sale of the business, and nearly 2 years of doing nothing until i recovered. fwiw, the biggest takeaways the whole thing taught me are 1. be careful of what you wish for and 2. both attractive wo…

> it's time for a massive rapid change, without the period of suffering this time

I massively agree, though I will make the mistake of staying for money again. Whenever I see I can work 3 years at A for every 1 year at B, I can't stomach the loss.

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#276

Post by ccleve »

matwood wrote: post #85
swalsh wrote: post #16

I've noticed a cognitive decline in myself the past couple years. I'm in my mid 30's though so I assume it's more related to long covid. One of the biggest side effects of long covid for me was horrible insomnia, which was killer. The insomnia is mostly gone, but I'm still not my previous cognitive self. It's terrifying to be honest.

> I've noticed a cognitive decline in myself the past couple years. How have you measured? I know people do decline cognitively in old age, but 30s is still young. I wonder if people only think they were sharper when younger. I knew much less in my 20s and made tons of mistakes. The mind has a peculiar way of highlighting good memories and downplaying the bad. The person I was in my 20s would not be able to do my cur…

How do you measure?

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#277

Post by pmorici »

MrYellowP wrote: post #197
pmorici wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt it is much to do with COVID. Mid 30’s is about the time when you have to start paying closer attention to things like sleep and exercise or everything starts to go to shit.

I'm in my early 40s, and do nothing specifically for my physical health. I don't have cognitive decline, I don't suffer from little issues at all , (someone once said that'll happen once past 40), some days I skip sleep entirely. I also learn new stuff and program on projects, which are cognitively demanding, almost every single day. I don't regularly watch TV shows. On occasion I binge-watch something, only to stop…

Obviously it’s different for everyone. Count yourself lucky I guess!

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#278

Post by herval »

koheripbal wrote: post #180
herval wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the same after COVID. Took me many months to start feeling functional again. Any time I tried to think about something, it'd just... noise out? First 2-3 months were just awful I went to a neurologist who said there's tons of people coming in with the same complaint after COVID, and since there's no literature on that yet, he couldn't really do anything. It gets better.

I wonder how many people just fell into alcohol, isolation induced depression, sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, etc... and that their health decline had nothing to do with COVID. That's the issue with these anecdotes

there wasn't really much of a lockdown where I live, so I sincerely doubt that. Also I got COVID after the entire lockdown was over everywhere (2021), sooo no

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#279

Post by herval »

thisguyfox wrote: post #212
koheripbal wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how many people just fell into alcohol, isolation induced depression, sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, etc... and that their health decline had nothing to do with COVID. That's the issue with these anecdotes

When the pandemic hit I went the opposite. Focused on a healthy mind and body, was able to study a bunch and finally broken through a few mental plateaus. But then I _got_ COVID and I can tell you COVID brain is real. Even after I had recovered physically there were a few weeks of obvious cognitive degradation. One of my first days testing negative I was trying to implement some pretty basic pagination logic but when…

exactly! The slighted mental effort made me want to go to sleep too :(

Re: Scientists may have found mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

#280

Post by herval »

dillydogg wrote: post #147
herval wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a biologist, but I believe what you're talking about is telomerase?

Telomeres are just repeats at the end of chromosomes to allow for replication. They aren't directly involved in replication fidelity beyond allowing for replication to proceed. I guess protecting genes near chromosome termini but that's different than the mutations you would expect in cancer.

my understanding is cancer gets more prevalent when the telomeres get old (short?), since it leads to more mutations/botched replication?
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