When the two groups of people were assigned different breathing techniques for 40 minutes a day, the participants had dramatically different levels of amyloid beta, a peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Whether a single exercise can reverse the rising trend of dementia in society is yet to be proven. But after a dozen drugs that have shown promise in preclinical trials have failed, anything that appears to work in humans will attract attention.
In the trial, 108 participants had a heart monitor clipped to their ear, and half were soothed by soothing music or calm thoughts for 20 minutes. Their counterparts were instructed to breathe in and out slowly in time with a laptop screen pacer circulating at 0.1 hertz.
Although the two may sound similar, they both represent a chance to let go of unpleasant thoughts and relax your body. But a new paper reveals that the effects were very different.
The heart rates of those in the sedative arm of the trial stabilized – in fact, they were encouraged to look at the monitor results and keep things as level as possible. ), the heart rate increased as they inhaled and exhaled. The goal was to increase variability. Blood samples were taken before the start of the program and after he had 4 weeks of twice-daily participation.
Samples were tested for two forms of amyloid beta, which form plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients, and for tau protein, whose intracellular tangles are another common hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease brains.
By the end of the study, blood levels of both amyloid beta types in the Osc+ group were significantly lower than before the study began. Disturbingly, amyloid levels were elevated more in the calming thinking (Osc-) group than they were in the Osc+ group. Would imagining a walk on the beach or listening to soothing music be enough to soothe participants if they knew they would be at increased risk of dementia in the process? was not significant overall, but showed similar trends to amyloid in young participants.
The author’s theory is that increased heart rate oscillations stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. “We know that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems influence the production and clearance of peptides and proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor Mara Mather of the University of Southern California. . statementParasympathetic activity declines with age, and the authors believe this may contribute to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The study did not test how long the effects lasted, or whether maintaining exercise for months rather than weeks would make the effects last longer. It is unclear to what extent a reduction in amyloid beta makes a difference.
Research into Alzheimer’s disease has for decades been divided between those who believe that amyloid plaques are the cause of the disease and those who believe it is a symptom. , believes that the tau protein is the true culprit, so the lack of significant impact there could undermine the project.
The authors also admit that they are unsure whether reduced levels of amyloid-beta in the blood reflect reduced production, clearance in the brain, or clearance from the kidneys. It may cross the blood-brain barrier and not drop in levels where it is needed.
This study is published in open access scientific report.
