My Favorite Studies from November
Cells outside of the brain show memory capacities and kettlebell training for people older than me.
Cells outside of the brain show memory capacities
On November 7th, researchers from NYU published a study called “The massed-space learning effect in non-neural human cells”. In everyday language, massed-space learning refers to how we form long-term memories through repetitive learning, an effect that occurs in neural circuits. Learning and memory formation is stronger when it is spaced out across multiple sessions than when in a single session. Imagine learning a language, or how to walk in one lesson—it would be impossible, unless you are Neo in the Matrix. Repetition is a common feature of learning throughout the animal kingdom.
Nikolay V. Kukushkin and his team hypothesized that other cells in the body contain the ability to form and store memories. The hypothesis that the body stores memories is not new, especially in the field of trauma and holistic modalities. However, most of the discussion about trauma informed interventions focus on the brain, and how stress and trauma effect the nervous system, immune system, hormones, and cognitive perceptions.
In this new research, Kukushkin et al show how memory formation occurs in organs that are not the brain, specifically the kidneys and nerve tissue. Kukushkin pointedly describes that the research “… shows that the ability to learn from spaced repetition isn’t unique to brain cells, but, in fact, might be a fundamental property of all cells.”
As the field of brain-body integration becomes more popular (an idea that the Yogis have held for thousands of years), the idea of treating our body more like a brain is reinforced by this research.
“… It suggests that in the future, we will need to treat our body more like the brain—for example, consider what our pancreas remembers about the pattern of our past meals to maintain healthy levels of blood glucose or consider what a cancer cell remembers about the pattern of chemotherapy.”
Researchers may find, as more studies like this are done, that not only can we learn more about organ function, we can also gain new insights into memory conditions as well as how cells process and store emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53922-x
https://neurosciencenews.com/organ-cell-memory-genetics-28004/
Kettlebell Training Reduces Inflammation and Increases Muscle Mass
It’s true, I’m a little obsessed with training modalities for people around the age of 60, which I’m getting close to. This particular study recruited non-physically active people from the age of 60 to 80 to see what would happen if they participated in 12 months of progressive kettlebell training.
After only six months, muscle mass improved in the thighs and upper body, but perhaps most importantly, there were vast improvements in grip strength, which has direct correlations to all-cause and disease specific death in this particular age group. Handgrip strength has been shown to reflect cardiovascular risk in elderly populations as well as other causes of death.
Cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are key components for longevity and health-span, and kettlebell training is one among many interventions that can work, with the added benefit of increasing handgrip strength.
Davi Mazála, the lead of the study, also found that blood markers of whole-body inflammation decreased.
An earlier study from 2022, which was only a three-month long study, found significant improvements in grip strength, and mild to moderate improvements in cardiovascular fitness, muscle mass, endurance, and functional capacity. They also found improvements in a perception of health change, which is a quality-of-life marker.
I looked around the internet to find the protocol for the study, and after some digging, found it here:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/instance/9034477/bin/12877_2022_2958_MOESM6_ESM.pdf
I haven’t tried it yet, it’s pretty involved, but who knows, maybe I will give it a go… and let you know the results.
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7877981/
Honorable mention
Researchers Sung Han and Jinho Jhang from the Salk Institute have identified the specific brain circuitry that allows us to voluntarily regulate slow breathing and soothe responses to stress and anxiety. They have mapped the connections between the frontal cortex and the brain stem, where respiration is modulated through the autonomic nervous system.
The idea of top-down influence on breathing isn’t new, I’ve written about it in earlier posts. However, the specific mapping was not known until this research was done. The frontal cortex communicates with the pons, which is just above the medulla, where the ANS is housed. The medulla largely controls our survival functions, while the pons has a limited role in breathing and in facial expressions.
The researchers found that specific messages from the frontal cortex would lower activity of the medulla, causing breath to slow down. These messages were both behavioral and emotional.
It would seem like this research would get a first place in my current research faves. What gives? Well, the concluding sentence of the Salk Institute article kind of dulled my enthusiasm for research about something we already know:
“I want to use these findings to design a yoga pill,” says Han. “It may sound silly, and the translation of our work into a marketable drug will take years, but we now have a potentially targetable brain circuit for creating therapeutics that could instantly slow breathing and initiate a peaceful, meditative state.”
Better living through chemistry? Perhaps start with better living.
References
https://www.salk.edu/news-release/neuroscientists-discover-how-the-brain-slows-anxious-breathing/
Thank you for the "digging" and finding the KB workout!
“Perhaps start with better living.” 🙌🏼