I think they’ve explored using it as a countermeasure for alzhiemers, but don’t recall how effective it was. In any case, that particular avenue isn’t likely to get significant traction currently in the west. Legally dubious and way too expensive for any of us mere mortals to afford.
I don’t even mean Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Your brain cells only have a certain lifespan and most of them don’t regenerate. Some can regenerate, but eventually the brain just can’t keep repairing itself. Pathways break down. Can stem cells fix that? Maybe. I haven’t heard anything about it.
I do hear there are some possible solutions out there to the other major aging issue- telomeres.
Well, alz & other forms of dementia are directly related to atrophy of gray matter in the brain. The general idea of rejuvination by adding progenitor (stem) cells which have fresh telomerase (enzyme that replenishes telomeres, the reason stem cells can keep replicating longer than other cells) in the brain is that they could develop new nerve cells. On a rather basic theoretical level that should also help with basic brain aging. I’m no neurologist though and haven’t been keeping up with the topic lately.
I don’t know that any of that solves the problem of an aging brain.
I think they’ve explored using it as a countermeasure for alzhiemers, but don’t recall how effective it was. In any case, that particular avenue isn’t likely to get significant traction currently in the west. Legally dubious and way too expensive for any of us mere mortals to afford.
I don’t even mean Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Your brain cells only have a certain lifespan and most of them don’t regenerate. Some can regenerate, but eventually the brain just can’t keep repairing itself. Pathways break down. Can stem cells fix that? Maybe. I haven’t heard anything about it.
I do hear there are some possible solutions out there to the other major aging issue- telomeres.
Well, alz & other forms of dementia are directly related to atrophy of gray matter in the brain. The general idea of rejuvination by adding progenitor (stem) cells which have fresh telomerase (enzyme that replenishes telomeres, the reason stem cells can keep replicating longer than other cells) in the brain is that they could develop new nerve cells. On a rather basic theoretical level that should also help with basic brain aging. I’m no neurologist though and haven’t been keeping up with the topic lately.