Can Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity
A new study led by scientists Joseph Zullo and Derek Drake from Harvard Medical School indicates that the nervous system may play an unexpected role in aging.
While it seems counterintuitive, the study suggests that limiting brain activity may promote a longer life span and work as a natural extender.
Although this is a preliminary study that requires further research, it shines a light on the importance of using behavioral interventions to slow down brain activity and possibly boost longevity.
Study Results
Can Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity, Scientists behind the new study published in the journal Nature found that neuronal excitement is higher in short-lived individuals than long-lived individuals.
Zullo and his colleagues first studied brain tissue from hundreds of aged humans that had not shown any cognitive deficits before death.
They found that genes involved in neural excitation, or increased brain activity, were downregulated in the individuals who lived the longest.
According to the researchers, this may be linked to a protein called REST (RE1-Silencing Transcription factor). Here’s what you need to know about REST:
- REST is a transcriptional repressor, which means that it blocks the expression of neural genes.
- REST expression correlates with increased longevity, and the protein levels are highest in the brains of individuals who lived to be 90–100 years old. Those who died in their 70s or 80s had lower levels of REST.
- This may be because REST represses genes that promote cell death and protects neurons from oxidative stress.
This latest study indicates that increased REST is directly associated with a long human life span. This is due to REST’s ability to reduce neural excitement by blocking the expression of neural genes.
How did scientists prove this? They started by testing this theory on roundworms and found that neural activity increased with aging.
On top of that, interventions that reduced neural excitement worked to extend the roundworm life span.
The same appeared to be true in mice, which they also studied. Mice lacking REST were more likely to display neural excitation.
This study suggests that maintaining a proper balance in brain activity may prevent age-related neurological diseases and improve longevity in humans.
How to Measure Brain Activity
Brain activity is calculated by neurons (nerve cells) triggered whenever we do many cognitive tasks. Our brains switch between sleeping and active states throughout the day, based on the actions of ours. Could Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity
There are several methods to measure brain activity, including:
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): measures changes in blood flow associated with neural activity
- Electroencephalography (EEG): measures electrical activity in the brain
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG): measures magnetic fields generated by neural activity
But measuring REST is not yet possible in living human brains. This is why scientists began their experiments on roundworms and mice for this study.
They were then able to test their findings on donated brains from deceased humans.
Now to further understand the role of REST and brain activity in longevity, scientists will begin to make connections between brain imaging, the function of brain cells, and human behaviors.
What Differences in Brain Activity Means
According to this most recent study, differences in brain activity can be linked to longevity. Researchers found that overactivity isn’t good for the brain.
When neurons are constantly firing off because of increased brain activity, it may take a toll.
When people engage in more difficult tasks, more regions of the brain are activated. Studies suggest that older adults start more brain circuits than younger individuals to complete the same job, and this Can Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity.
Scientists don’t know why this happens, but it may be because the brains of older people are less efficient and overcompensate due to that inefficiency.
Ways to Support Brain Health
From this particular research, drug analysis will be carried out to determine if unnecessary neural activity can be decreased in aging individuals. Scientists also think that specific behaviors and habits can influence the brain’s neural activity and boost longevity. Several activities that can support mental health by decreasing brain activity include: While we have been informed that maximizing brain activity helps you increase cognitive function, this particular study suggests otherwise. It appears as though the balance is critical, as providers of Eastern medicine have generally thought.
Conclusion
Can Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity
- A recent new study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered a surprising link between decreased brain activity and improved longevity.
- Scientists claim the protein REST is much higher in individuals with an extended life span. REST works to prevent neural activity, therefore reducing brain excitement.
- The study findings might seem counterintuitive, but it spotlights the benefits of behavioral changes and mental balance to reduce brain excitement and possibly extend the life span of yours.
