Nature Knows and Psionic Success

HONG KONG, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The story began like this – a young college student who suffers from mild dyslexia and struggles to spell created an one-of-a-kind tea soda made with organic Japanese matcha and several natural energy-boosting herbs to challenge Redbull’s traditional energy drinks.

The new in town HISE soda is a magical combination to power up your brain functions, especially on concentration and memory, and battle enervation and fatigue by strengthening your physical ability. The tea soda comes in environmental friendly aluminum cans that are infinitely recyclable and made with up to 95% of recycled material to avoid new cans production as green beverage business. The great blend of herbs & matcha provides you a great variety of vitamins (A, B, C, E, K etc.), minerals (ie. potassium, iron, and magnesium) and dietary fiber to improve your diet. Hise also helps you fight and stabilize harmful free radicals with the high antioxidants content from matcha, Rhodiola Rosea , Ginkgo Biloba and Eleuthero Root. “I used to rely on energy drinks to deal with my concentration issue as I hate pills. Sure, they do hype you up for three hours but the side-effects are just too much – blushing my skins, crazy heart pounding and energy crash,” the young innovator explained. “So, I turned to Chinese herbal and mint tea instead that worked like magic. Inspired by the natural drinks, I founded HISE, the powerful future energy soda that come with clean ingredients and zero sugar that are suitable for everyone, even diabetics and persons on a diet!”

To the remedy of many who want to stay energized but also value health, HISE’s new future soda comes with no side-effect but only side-benefits. With the recent super-food trend, matcha has been brought to the spotlight for its rich antioxidant content and free radical fighting properties. Matcha is also high in dietary fiber and fosters metabolism which assists you in weight control and keeping fit. On top of that, the energy soda features three types of top-notch Asian herbs that improve your heart health and help fight age-associated and long-term diseases. One of the three, Rhodiola Rosea, helps in improving mood and easing stress by correcting the chemical imbalances.

“Born in a family that is enthusiastic about teas and herbs, I am always amazed by their nutrition benefits. But we are aware that tea soda is also a soda that needs to taste good. So we studied the popular Western beverages’ taste and came up with this delightful tea lemonade recipe which is actually refreshing and sweet!” The Hong Kong based team pointed out that the sweet taste is from a new innovative natural sweetener extracted from the Eastern traditional favorite sweetener – Monk Fruit.

Excited for the future energy soda? HISE is now available as crowdfunding on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hisedrink/hise-organic-matcha-lemonade-soda-zero-sugar and check them out at www.hisedrink.com

SOURCE HISE Drink

Read more at www.prnewswire.com

Sure, we all know that eating junk food, avoiding exercise, and drinking like Jimmy McNulty isn’t going to do any favors for our health and overall well-being. However, did you know there are many other habits, rituals, and practices most of us engage in that, unbeknownst to us, are also damaging our health—only we have no idea?

The Remedy spoke to some of the top health and medical experts around the country to reveal all the ways that we are inadvertently doing more hurt than harm to ourselves.

You might think you are eating a super-healthy diet, but are in fact consuming dangerous chemicals. “Most grain and soy products in North America are sprayed with Roundup—a.k.a. glyphosate—a known carcinogen and gut microbiome disruptor,” explains Dr. Steven Gundry, MD medical director at The International Heart and Lung Institute Center for Restorative Medicine and the New York Times best-seller The Plant Paradox and The Plant Paradox Cookbook . Basically, we unwittingly eat glyphosate while eating “healthy” whole grain products. He points out that even new plant-based hamburger meat products may have Roundup in them—as well as most of our animal products like chicken, beef or pork, as most are fed with these same tainted grains and/or soy.

The Remedy Rx: In order to avoid eating foods tainted by glyphosate, there are a number of things you can do. Eat organically, eat locally by shopping at your farmer’s market for meat and produce, or grow your own produce.

Dr. Gundry points out that the vast majority of whole grain products are loaded with plant proteins called lectins which are part of the plant’s defense system against being eaten. “As The Plant Paradox series show, lectins are major causes of leaky gut, arthritis, depression, weight gain and brain and heart disease as well as autoimmune diseases,” he explains.

The Remedy Rx: Reduce your gluten consumption. “As I have reported at The American Heart Association, most patients who remove gluten and other lectin-containing foods resolve autoimmune issues and leaky gut within months,” he says.

Artificial sweeteners might be a zero-calorie sugar-free alternative, but they aren’t doing any wonders for your digestive system. “Most people who use artificial sweeteners have no idea that they are destroying and altering their gut bacteria, the microbiome with every packet, the same bacteria that have the potential to keep them lean and happy,” Dr. Gundry says.

The Remedy Rx: Try to avoid artificial sweeteners. If you need a boost of sweet, you can always opt for a natural sweetener such as stevia.

You might not realize it, but certain positions while sleeping can damage your health. “Many people will sleep every night on their sides in the fetal position. While this seems harmless, this sleeping position can actually be detrimental to your health,” points out David Greuner, MD , of NYC Surgical Associates “When you sleep like this, it cuts your diaphragm’s free range down which can cause back pain as well as issues with your lungs.”

The Remedy Rx: Try another sleeping position. According to the National Sleep Foundation , the healthiest way to sleep in on your back.

It can be hard to remember to drink enough fluids. But try and remember it can be hazardous to your health. “Vein insufficiency can be amplified due to dehydration,” explains Dr. Greuner. “When you are hydrated your blood is thinner and flows better. When your blood is thicker, it can make vein insufficiency problems worse.”

The Remedy Rx: Drink lots of fluids! The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences recommends 2.7 (11 cups) liters to 3.7 liters (nearly 16 cups) per day . “Make sure to stay hydrated to keep your entire body healthy including your veins!” says Dr. Greuner.

Just because a product is called “organic” doesn’t mean it is good for you. “Many packaged products are highly processed, and may contain many unhealthy ingredients,” points out Talia Segal Fidler , MS, HHC, AADP, nutritionist at The Lodge at Woodloch. For example, they may contain a high sugar content. “Even though it is organic, it is still sugar and still a processed product.”

The Remedy Rx: Remember that processed food is processed food and sugar is sugar—even if it has an organic label on it.

Most of us were raised believing that drinking fruit juice was actually good for you. However, Fidler points out that many fruit juices are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup. “There are hardly any connections between the fruits and that beverage,” she explains. “You are basically only consuming sugar!”

The Remedy Rx: If you are going to drink juice, look for ones that are 100 percent juice and no added sugar. Better yet, eat a piece of fruit, so you get the belly-filling fiber.

Eating yogurt that has added fruits, or giving it to children thinking it is a good thing, is pretty common. Unfortunately, Fidler points out that those “fruits” are loaded with unhealthy sugar which defeats the purpose.

The Remedy Rx: “A better choice is to buy plain organic yogurt and add freshly cut fruits to it,” Fidler suggests. “For extra sweetness you can add a bit of local honey.”

Sure, many fish are high in good fats and can be a great addition to your diet. However, Fidler points out that size matters when it comes to just how healthy a swimmer is. “The larger the fish, the more likely that it may have a high mercury levels and other toxins,” she explains. This is due to the fact that the fish has lived longer and accumulated toxins overtime.

The Remedy Rx: Fidler suggests eating smaller fish, such as sardines, mackerel anchovies etc. Or, opt for a deep-water fish that isn’t exposed to the same toxins.

While farm raised salmon may boast health benefits in the form of omega 3 fatty acids, they can also be contaminated with toxins, explains Fidler. According to one study , it is higher in cancer causing pollutants.

The Remedy Rx: “Salmon needs to be chosen carefully,” says Fidler. “Wild caught […]

Read more at www.eatthis.com

Want to sharpen your memory?

Hot flushes, insomnia, and troubling mood swings. Does that remind you of something? During menopause, women’s ovaries stop making their regular levels of progesterone and oestrogen. As a result, the entire system changes. There’s no age calculator to tell you exactly when you’re going to experience it, although on average it’s age 51.

But there’s one symptom you might not have heard about: brain fog. At first, you assume you’re experiencing mental fatigue because you can’t sleep well. You notice you can’t pay attention, you’re confused, and forget things that are easy to remember.

In my case, it’s the phone. I always forget where I left it. One time, I found it in the fridge. Everyone thought it was a joke, but it was a moment of awareness for me: something is wrong and I need to do something about it. Why do memory issues occur during menopause?

A study from 2013 showed that fluctuations in oestrogen levels during perimenopause significantly affect the memory capacity. Before their oestrogen levels dipped, the women who participated in the study had normal working and semantic memory. When the levels dropped, their performance was affected.

Hold on.

This is not something we should make peace with.

There are ways to prevent the memory decline. In fact, a study from 2014 showed that mind-body medicine had a great potential to improve a woman’s cognitive performance at any age. 10 ways to improve your memory at any age

1. Change your eating habits

Sugar is out. When your brain is foggy, you feel a lack of energy. Carbs give you an instant boost, so you often reach for them. However, you quickly hit a new low after that spike. You need to avoid sugar and shift towards loads of veggies and fruits. 2. Try to get your sleep in order

“Maintain a regular sleeping schedule” is an easy tip to give. Lack of sleep does affect your cognitive performance. But how do you solve this issue when it’s not something you willingly caused?

There are a few things you can do: Quit coffee. If that’s too hard, you can limit your intake to one cup in the morning.

Get a good mattress and a nice pillow.

Try not to use your computer, smartphone, or tablet at least two hours before going to bed.

Learn a relaxation technique and practice it before bed.

3. Exercise

Aerobic exercise and yoga are great for women at any age. Physical activity can contribute towards memory improvement because it gives you energy, it motivates you to eat healthy, and it improves your sleep.

It’s best to exercise in the morning or throughout the day. Avoid doing it in the evening, since the energy boost will disturb your sleep. 4. Read

You have to keep your mind active. Read books, but choose good ones. Don’t opt for mainstream page-turners. Read the books that have been on your list for ages, but you never got to them. 5. Write

Journalling helps a lot! Note down the highlights of the day. This habit will inspire you to pay attention to everything that happens. You’ll want to remember a moment, so you’ll write about it later on. With time, you’ll become more aware of everything you do.

If writing isn’t your thing, you can collaborate with a professional personal statement writing service . A writer will help you find your unique voice, so you’ll like the stuff you put on paper. You can even turn your journal into a blog. 6. Play mind games

Try a brain training app with lots of different games and activities to give yourself a new challenge every day. 7. Take ginkgo biloba supplements

You should consult your doctor before taking any supplements. Ask if you can take ginkgo biloba. It’s generally considered safe as a supplement, but it may interact negatively with some meds you’re taking.

This is a useful natural supplement that prevents memory loss and dementia. 8. Meditate

Meditation is usually recommended as a way to combat stress. However, it has magnificent effects on the mind when practiced regularly. It boosts your awareness for the now , so it naturally leads to memory improvement.

Meditation is hard at first. You sit with your eyes closed, and your mind starts wandering. You’ll have to learn how to control it, and you’ll need to practice every day. 9. Practice mindfulness Being mindful means being aware of the present moment. Meditation gets you in a state of mindfulness. However, you have to maintain it throughout the rest of the day.When you train your mind to be mindful of all thoughts and surroundings, it will stop wandering. You’ll become more attentive and it will be easier for you to remember everything. 10. Test your vitamin D levels and supplement if necessary Low levels of vitamin D may be responsible for the decline in cognitive function. This is a simple blood test to perform, but many doctors forget to recommend it. Test your Vitamin D levels. If you’re deficient, your doctor will prescribe a supplement. You can do this… Don’t get disappointed if you start forgetting things. Your female brain is still powerful and beautiful. You can work with it to make it stronger and more attentive.All tips listed above are pretty easy to implement into your lifestyle. You’ll have to make some effort to start exercising, reading, writing, and eating well on a regular basis. But when you turn these activities into habits, you’ll love yourself for making that effort.

Read more at henpicked.net

It has been discovered that cognitive functions such as memory and learning in old mice are improved with more stem cells and neurons. Scientists have discovered that increasing the number of stem cells in the brain help in recovering cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, that are lost during ageing.

The scientists were from the Center for Regenerative Therapies of TU Dresden (CRTD) and led by Professor Federico Calegari, working with Professor Gerd Kempermann (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE / CRTD) and Dr Kentaroh Takagaki (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg).

The researchers used a method developed to stimulate the small pool of neural stem cells that reside in the brain in order to increase their number and as a result, to also increase the number of neurons generated by those stem cells. Surprisingly, additional neurons could survive and form new contacts with neighbouring cells in the brain of old mice.

Next, the scientists examined a key cognitive ability that is lost, similarly in mice and in humans, during ageing: navigation. Image of neural stem cells and newborn neurons (green) artificially generated in the hippocampus and contacting mature cells (red) of the mouse brain (credit: CRTD). The researchers wanted to find out if boosting the number of neurons was sufficient to counteract the decreasing performance of the brain in navigation and slow down this ageing process and they found out that old mice with more stem cells and neurons recovered their lost ability to build a map of the environment and remembered it for longer times making them more similar to young mice.

Furthermore, when neural stem cells were stimulated in the brain of young mice, cognitive impairments were delayed and memory was better preserved over the entire course of the animals’ natural life.

“In young individuals, a brain area called the hippocampus is crucial for remembering places and events and is also responsible for creating maps of new environments,” explained Gabriel Berdugo-Vega, first author of the study. “However, old individuals use other structures that are more related to the development of habits. It was very interesting to see that adding more neurons in the hippocampus of old mice allowed them to use strategies typical of young animals. It was not only about how fast they were learning but, rather, how different the learning process itself was.”

“Also humans have a few stem cells in the brain and these stem cells are known to severely reduce in numbers over the course of life,” added Prof. Federico Calegari, senior author of this study. “Identifying the causes underlying cognitive deficits in ageing and rescuing them is crucial for our rapidly ageing societies. Our work demonstrates that age-related impairments can be rescued by hijacking the endogenous neurogenic potential of the brain, thus, rejuvenating its function.”

The study was published in Nature Communications .

Read more at www.drugtargetreview.com

7 Fasting Benefits That Aren’t Weight Loss PeopleImages But science has also discovered health benefits linked to whole-day, alternate-day, and time-restricted fasting, says Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., the registered dietitian that helped develop the new book The Mens Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting .

Scientists speculate that the benefits of short-term fasts may come from the structured break they provide to around-the-clock eating.

Even if you dont change the content of your diet, by controlling the time period in which your calories are consumed, you give your body a pause from a constant onslaught food, says Williams.

Maybe youre skeptical . But Williams says that, at first, she was too.

She studied the research. She looked at the data. She even tried a time-restricted fast herself. I expected the fast to affect my blood sugar because Im prone to low blood sugar and I know how I get without eating, Williams says. But Williams says she was surprised to find that she had no trouble going 16 hours without eating. Her method: She stopped eating after dinner and fasted from 7 p.m. to 11 a.m., following the popular 16:8 intermittent fasting pattern, which leaves an 8-hour-long window for eating.

I find Im really not hungry; in fact, sometimes I have to remind myself to eat lunch, Williams says.

While more research is needed to determine if fasting is effective for long-term dieting, theres no debate that it works in the short-term.

By refraining from eating for at least 12 hours (ideally 16), your body starts burning through glucose and can begin tapping fat for fuel, explains Williams. Studies show that you can expect to lose between 3 and 8 percent of your bodyweight in as few as three weeks. Compared to calorie-restriction diets, intermittent fasting tends to trigger more belly fat loss, the research suggests. Anecdotally, Williams says she senses greater energy and improved clarity of thought.

Here are some other potential upsides of intermittent fasting, each supported by research. Intermittent fasting may help maintain muscle .

Whenever you restrict calories and lose weight, some of that weight comes from a reduction in muscle mass. That goes for intermittent fasts as well as traditional calorie-restriction diets. However, at least one study conducted by the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois suggests that intermittent fasting may be more effective for retaining muscle mass.

The study compared overweight and obese adults who followed a calorie restriction diet with similar-weight subjects who restricted calories through intermittent fasting. After 12 weeks, the researchers found both diets to be equally effective in trimming body weight and fat mass, but less muscle was lost by the group that fasted. Intermittent fasting may target belly fat.

Overweight people who could choose any 10-hour timeframe to eat as long as they refrained from eating the other 14 hours of the day saw a reduction in waist circumference and visceral abdominal fat after 12 weeks, according to a report in the journal Cell Metabolism. Intermittent fasting may reduce diabetes risk.

The study in Cell Metabolism referenced above also demonstrated the potential of intermittent fasting to reduce risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

All the participants in the study were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health conditionsincluding high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides levelsthat occurring together boost the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

After 12 weeks, every participant experienced improvement in all of the common markers of metabolic syndrome. A similar study in the journal Translational Research found that alternate-day fasting, in which participants restricted calories by 75 percent on a fast day, followed by a feed day without calorie restriction, resulted in clinically significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin resistance. Intermittent fasting may lower high blood pressure.

A study published in Nutrition and Healthy Aging demonstrated that participants who practiced 16:8 intermittent fasting without calorie counting significantly reduced their systolic blood pressure compared to a control group after 12 weeks. Intermittent fasting could fight inflammation.

Inflammation is your bodys natural way of fighting off infection, illness, and injury. But theres another type of inflammation, a chronic inflammation that can silently trigger heart disease and diabetes.

Smoking, mental stress, and a regular diet of fatty, fried, or sugary foods are common causes. Several studies have shown that intermittent fasting may induce an anti-inflammatory effect that reduces risk of those metabolic diseasesand even improve pulmonary function in people with asthma. Whats more, a reduction in inflammation due to short-term fasting appears to protect the brain from memory disorders and depression, according to a study in Obesity. Intermittent fasting may reduce oxidative stress.

Even when you dont lose weight while on an intermittent fasting routine, your cells may benefit from extra protection, according to a study in Cell Metabolism.

The study assigned men with prediabetes to either a 6-hour early eating period, where they could eat only from 8 a.m. until dinner before 2 p.m., fasting the rest of the day, or a 12-hour feeding period.

At the end of five weeks, the researchers found that the men on the early time- restricted fast improved blood pressure and insulin sensitivity (as expected), but also improved resistance to oxidative stress, where unstable molecules called free radicals can damage proteins and DNA. Intermittent fasting may help you live longer.

Rodent studies suggest that intermittent fasting, which is much easier to maintain than extreme calorie cutting, may boost lifespan, too. In one study comparing rats who were given unrestricted access to food to rats who were fed every other day, the rats who fasted lived 83 percent longer than those who gorged themselves.

For a quick primer on how to start a health-boosting fast yourself, plus dozens of delicious recipes for brunch, dinner, and even Keto-diet-friendly meals, check out The Mens Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting here.

Read more at www.pulse.com.gh

( Natural News ) The quest for finding ways to delay aging has led scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine to a protein extracted from the blood of young mice. When injected into older mice, the protein, known as eNAMPT, could delay aging and inhibit age-related diseases in the senior rodents.

The researchers found that eNAMPT extended the lifespan of the older rodents by 16 percent. “We have found a totally new pathway towards healthy aging,” said Shin-ichiro Imai, senior author of the study, which was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. In human terms, this would be the equivalent of a 79-year old living to the age of 91.

“That we can take eNAMPT from the blood of young mice and give it to older mice and see that the older mice show marked improvements in health – including increased physical activity and better sleep – is remarkable.”

In their animal trials, Imai and his team experimented on two groups of lab mice. One group was given an oral dose of eNAMPT, while the control group received a saline solution. According to them, the differences between the groups were “dramatic.”

The mice in the control group all died within around 2.4 years. The mice who were given eNAMPT died within 2.8 years. Furthermore, the mice who were given the enzyme had improved cognitive function on memory tests, better sleep quality, ran more on their running wheels and, according to the authors, grew “thicker, shinier fur.” This suggests that eNAMPT could be directly increasing the lifespan of the mice .

100% organic essential oil sets now available for your home and personal care, including Rosemary, Oregano, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Clary Sage and more, all 100% organic and laboratory tested for safety. A multitude of uses, from stress reduction to topical first aid. See the complete listing here , and help support this news site. eNAMPT may be the key

The enzyme eNAMPT plays a crucial role in the process cells use to create NAD, a coenzyme found in all living cells and a crucial component in energy production.

“We think the body has so many redundant systems to maintain proper NAD levels because it is so important,” said Imai on why NAD is such an important molecule for the body. He said that the studies suggest NAD governs how long people live and how healthy people can remain as they grow older.

“Since we know that NAD inevitably declines with age, whether in worms, fruit flies, mice or people, many researchers are interested in finding anti-aging interventions that might maintain NAD levels as we get older.”

In Imai and his team’s research, keeping eNAMPT levels high were able to sustain NAD levels. When both remain high, it’s possible that many of the side effects of aging can be delayed. (Related: Longevity science: Study reveals benefits of nutraceuticals and the Mediterranean diet when it comes to improving lifespan .) Longer life may be within reach

Imai and his team believe that the reason aging speeds up when eNAMPT levels decline has to do with the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that plays an important role in releasing hormones, regulating body temperature and controlling social behavior, among others. Recently, other studies have found that the hypothalamus also has a hand in the body’s aging process. As levels of eNAMPT decrease during aging, researchers believe that the hypothalamus ceases to function at peak efficiency, shortening lifespans.

The research team recommends that future studies look into whether low levels of eNAMPT are associated with the arrival of diseases in older humans and whether this essential protein can be a viable ingredient in anti-aging treatment.

The findings from this study, at the very least, look promising because they open avenues to more research into anti-aging interventions. If eNAMPT could be harnessed safely, longer life may just be one blood transfusion away.

Sources include:

Cell.com

Read more at www.naturalnews.com

Summary: Critical aspects of hippocampal function can be reversed in old age, or compensated for throughout life, with the help of neural stem cells.

Source: TU Dresden

We all will experience it at some point, unfortunately: The older we get the more our brains will find it difficult to learn and remember new things. What the reasons underlying these impairments are is yet unclear but scientists at the Center for Regenerative Therapies of TU Dresden (CRTD) wanted to investigate if increasing the number of stem cells in the brain would help in recovering cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, that are lost during aging.

To investigate this, the research group led by Prof. Federico Calegari used a method developed in his lab to stimulate the small pool of neural stem cells that reside in the brain in order to increase their number and, as a result, to also increase the number of neurons generated by those stem cells. Surprisingly, additional neurons could survive and form new contacts with neighboring cells in the brain of old mice. Next, the scientists examined a key cognitive ability that is lost, similarly in mice and in humans, during aging: navigation.

It is well known that individuals learn to navigate in a new environment in a different way depending on whether they are young or old. When young, the brain can build and remember a cognitive map of the environment but this ability fades away in older brains. As an alternative solution to the problem, older brains without a cognitive map of the environment need to learn the fixed series of turns and twists that are needed to reach a certain destination. While the two strategies may superficially appear similar, only a cognitive map can allow individuals to navigate efficiently when starting from a new location or when in need of reaching a new destination.

Would boosting the number of neurons be sufficient to counteract the decreasing performance of the brain in navigation and slow down this aging process? The teams of Prof. Calegari (CRTD) together with Prof. Gerd Kempermann (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE / CRTD) and Dr. Kentaroh Takagaki (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg) found the answer to this challenging question and published it this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

The answer is “Yes”: Old mice with more stem cells and neurons recovered their lost ability to build a map of the environment and remembered it for longer times making them more similar to young mice. Even better, when neural stem cells were stimulated in the brain of young mice, cognitive impairments were delayed and memory was better preserved over the entire course of the animal natural life.

In young individuals, a brain area called the hippocampus is crucial for remembering places and events, and is also responsible for creating maps of new environments. However, old individuals use other structures that are more related to the development of habits. It was very interesting to see that adding more neurons in the hippocampus of old mice allowed them to use strategies typical of young animals. It was not only about how fast they were learning but, rather, how different the learning process itself was “, explains Gabriel Berdugo-Vega, first author of the study.

“Also humans have a few stem cells in the brain and these stem cells are known to severely reduce in numbers over the course of life. Identifying the causes underlying cognitive deficits in ageing and rescuing them is crucial for our rapidly ageing societies. Our work demonstrates that age-related impairments can be rescued by hijacking the endogenous neurogenic potential of the brain, thus, rejuvenating its function. Being a human myself with my own stem cells and being the senior author of this study, I felt that I had a personal interest in this topic.” says Prof. Federico Calegari, senior author of this study. Image of neural stem cells and newborn neurons (green) artificially generated in the hippocampus and contacting mature cells (red) of the mouse brain. Image is credited to CRTD. The research group of Prof. Federico Calegari focuses on mammalian neural stem cells in the context of development, evolution and cognitive function at the CRTD. The institute is the academic home for scientists from more than 30 nations. Their mission is to discover the principles of cell and tissue regeneration and leveraging this for recognition, treatment and reversal of diseases. The CRTD links the bench to the clinic, scientists to clinicians to pool expertise in stem cells, developmental biology, gene-editing and regeneration towards innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, haematological diseases such as leukaemia, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, retina and bone diseases.

Funding: This study was funded by TU Dresden / CRTD through the German Excellence Initiative, the German Research Foundation and a European grant from the H2020 programme. In addition, it was supported by the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

Source:
Rutgers
Media Contacts:
Gabriel Berdugo-Vega – TU Dresden Image Source:
The image is credited to CRTD.

Original Research: Open access
“Increasing neurogenesis refines hippocampal activity rejuvenating navigational learning strategies and contextual memory throughout life”. Gabriel Berdugo-Vega, Gonzalo Arias-Gil, Adrian López-Fernández, Benedetta Artegiani, Joanna M. Wasielewska, Chi-Chieh Lee, Michael T. Lippert, Gerd Kempermann, Kentaroh Takagaki & Federico Calegari.
Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-14026-z .

Abstract

Increasing neurogenesis refines hippocampal activity rejuvenating navigational learning strategies and contextual memory throughout life

Functional plasticity of the brain decreases during ageing causing marked deficits in contextual learning, allocentric navigation and episodic memory. Adult neurogenesis is a prime example of hippocampal plasticity promoting the contextualisation of information and dramatically decreases during ageing. We found that a genetically-driven expansion of neural stem cells by overexpression of the cell cycle regulators Cdk4/cyclinD1 compensated the age-related decline in neurogenesis. This triggered an overall inhibitory effect on the trisynaptic hippocampal circuit resulting in a […]

Read more at neurosciencenews.com

More stem cells improve learning and memory of old mice Credit: CRTD

We all will experience it at some point, unfortunately: The older we get the more our brains will find it difficult to learn and remember new things. What the reasons underlying these impairments are is yet unclear but scientists at the Center for Regenerative Therapies of TU Dresden (CRTD) wanted to investigate if increasing the number of stem cells in the brain would help in recovering cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, that are lost during ageing.

To investigate this, the research group led by Prof. Federico Calegari used a method developed in his lab to stimulate the small pool of neural stem cells that reside in the brain in order to increase their number and, as a result, to also increase the number of neurons generated by those stem cells. Surprisingly, additional neurons could survive and form new contacts with neighbouring cells in the brain of old mice. Next, the scientists examined a key cognitive ability that is lost, similarly in mice and in humans, during ageing: navigation.

It is well known that individuals learn to navigate in a new environment in a different way depending on whether they are young or old. When young, the brain can build and remember a cognitive map of the environment but this ability fades away in older brains. As an alternative solution to the problem, older brains without a cognitive map of the environment need to learn the fixed series of turns and twists that are needed to reach a certain destination. While the two strategies may superficially appear similar, only a cognitive map can allow individuals to navigate efficiently when starting from a new location or when in need of reaching a new destination.

Would boosting the number of neurons be sufficient to counteract the decreasing performance of the brain in navigation and slow down this ageing process? The teams of Prof. Calegari (CRTD) together with Prof. Gerd Kempermann (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE / CRTD) and Dr. Kentaroh Takagaki (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg) found the answer to this challenging question and published it this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications .

The answer is “Yes”: Old mice with more stem cells and neurons recovered their lost ability to build a map of the environment and remembered it for longer times making them more similar to young mice. Even better, when neural stem cells were stimulated in the brain of young mice, cognitive impairments were delayed and memory was better preserved over the entire course of the animal natural life.

In young individuals, a brain area called the hippocampus is crucial for remembering places and events, and is also responsible for creating maps of new environments. However, old individuals use other structures that are more related to the development of habits. It was very interesting to see that adding more neurons in the hippocampus of old mice allowed them to use strategies typical of young animals. It was not only about how fast they were learning but, rather, how different the learning process itself was “, explains Gabriel Berdugo-Vega, first author of the study.

“Also humans have a few stem cells in the brain and these stem cells are known to severely reduce in numbers over the course of life. Identifying the causes underlying cognitive deficits in ageing and rescuing them is crucial for our rapidly ageing societies. Our work demonstrates that age-related impairments can be rescued by hijacking the endogenous neurogenic potential of the brain, thus, rejuvenating its function. Being a human myself with my own stem cells and being the senior author of this study, I felt that I had a personal interest in this topic.” says Prof. Federico Calegari, senior author of this study.

The research group of Prof. Federico Calegari focuses on mammalian neural stem cells in the context of development, evolution and cognitive function at the CRTD. The institute is the academic home for scientists from more than 30 nations. Their mission is to discover the principles of cell and tissue regeneration and leveraging this for recognition, treatment and reversal of diseases. The CRTD links the bench to the clinic, scientists to clinicians to pool expertise in stem cells, developmental biology, gene-editing and regeneration towards innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, haematological diseases such as leukaemia, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, retina and bone diseases.

###

This study was funded by TU Dresden / CRTD through the German Excellence Initiative, the German Research Foundation and a European grant from the H2020 programme. In addition, it was supported by the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

Media Contact
Gabriel Berdugo-Vega
Gabriel.Berdugo@tu-dresden.de
49-035-145-882-200

Read more at bioengineer.org