Turning Alzheimer's fuzzy signals into high definition (electric, television, display)

[Brian.Pearson]

One factor even more important than the size of a television screen is the quality of the signal it displays. Having a life-sized projection of Harry Potter dodging a Bludger in a Quidditch match is of little use if the details are lost to pixilation
.
The importance of transmitting clear signals, however, is not relegated to the airwaves. The same creed applies to the electrical impulses navigating a human brain. Now, new research has shown that one of the few drugs approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease helps patients by clearing up the signals coming in from the outside world.


The discovery was made by a team of researchers led by Rosalyn Moran, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. Her study indicates that cholinesterase inhibitors — a class of drugs that stop the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine — allow signals to enter the brain with more precision and less background noise.


"Increasing the levels of acetylcholine appears to turn your fuzzy, old analog TV signal into a shiny, new, high-definition one," said Moran, who holds an appointment as an assistant professor in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. "And the drug does this in the sensory cortices. These are the workhorses of the brain, the gatekeepers, not the more sophisticated processing regions — such as the prefrontal cortex — where one may have expected the drugs to have their most prominent effect."

[Tek_Freek]

Damn. There's hope yet.

[Brian.Pearson]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Damn. There's hope yet.

Sure hope so!! I think there hope for a lot of us.

[Willsson]

That could be good news. I take after my mom's family traits. A couple of decades ago she started trending into Alzheimer's. Nobody realized, being everyone just thought she was a ditzy blonde. Yeah, she was a ditzy blonde. Well, a few years ago she stopped coloring her hair and turns out she was an effervescent gray.

So, I have the disappearing act to look forward to myself, my guesstimates in about ten years or a bit longer. I've been doing some close studies with the nootropics to see how they work. And yeah, it's like the difference in 720p and 1080p TV.