#The body and the archive series#
The Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute hosts a public lecture series to continue its efforts to educate the public on the latest scientific discoveries in neuroscience and translate how these discoveries are relevant in our daily lives. Scott Edwards is a freelance science writer based in Massachusetts.
#The body and the archive trial#
The results of the trial are especially relevant because of the high prevalence of dementia and significant cognitive decline among older adults with diabetes. She is now planning the first clinical trial of INI in older adults with type 2 diabetes. In a pilot study, Novak and her colleagues found that a single dose of INI had a positive effect on memory, verbal learning, and spatial orientation. With intranasal insulin, we’re hoping to find a new avenue for treatment to slow down these effects or prevent them altogether.” “Type 2 diabetes accelerates brain aging,” says Novak, “which, in turn accelerates the progression of functional decline. As signaling within these memory networks become more efficient, the cognitive functions associated with these areas, such as learning and visual perceptions of spatial relationships, improve. When used, INI enters the brain and binds to receptors in its memory networks, including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and insular cortex. One of these ways involves a nasal spray called intranasal insulin (INI). In her laboratory, Novak is studying ways to prevent these effects in people with type 2 diabetes. And it can lead to small-vessel disease, which restricts blood flow in the brain, causing cognitive difficulties and, if severe enough, spurring the development of vascular dementia. It can cause the brain to atrophy or shrink. High blood glucose levels can affect the brain’s functional connectivity, which links brain regions that share functional properties, and brain matter. Long-term diabetes-either type 1 or type 2-has many consequences for the brain and for neurons in the brain, says Novak. Type 2 diabetes, caused by dietary and other environmental factors, is a condition in which cells become overwhelmed by insulin and fail to properly respond they become resistant to insulin.
Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone used by the body to keep blood glucose levels in check. The effects of glucose and other forms of sugar on the brain may be the most profound in diabetes, a group of diseases in which high blood glucose levels persist over a prolonged period of time. A 2012 study in animals by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles indicated a positive relationship between the consumption of fructose, another form of sugar, and the aging of cells, while a 2009 study, also using an animal model, conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Montreal and Boston College, linked excess glucose consumption to memory and cognitive deficiencies. “It cannot be without it.”Īlthough the brain needs glucose, too much of this energy source can be a bad thing. “The brain is dependent on sugar as its main fuel,” says Vera Novak, MD, PhD, an HMS associate professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In addition, hypoglycemia, a common complication of diabetes caused by low glucose levels in the blood, can lead to loss of energy for brain function and is linked to poor attention and cognitive function. If there isn’t enough glucose in the brain, for example, neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, are not produced and communication between neurons breaks down. Resources for those affected by War in Ukraineīrain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning are closely linked to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses this fuel source.Celebrating 50 Years of Diversity and Inclusion.Research Departments, Centers, Initiatives and more.
0 kommentar(er)
