brain

We believed that the brain evolved to be rational. Science has a much more uncomfortable answer

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We love to think of ourselves as deeply logical beings, since after all, we call ourselves Homo sapienswhich can be translated as the ‘man who thinks’. When we make a decision, from what car to buy to who to vote for, we like to believe we’ve weighed the pros and cons with the coolness of an algorithm. But biological reality acts as a bucket of cold water by pointing out that our mind has evolved to survivenot to think rationally. The myth of the logic machine. To understand why we sometimes make decisions that seem absurd or get carried away by cognitive biases, we must look to our evolutionary past. The classics of modern evolutionary psychology, driven by figures such as Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, established a fundamental basis when seeing that our current cognitive mechanisms were forged in ancestral environments. Here we must bear in mind that in the savanna, stopping to statistically calculate the probability that a rustling in the undergrowth was a lion or simply the wind was a recipe that could end with almost certain death. The one who survived was the one who ran away without thinking rationally. It is not exclusive. This decision-making architecture is not unique to us, since science has already traced the evolutionary roots of our decisions. comparing us with non-human primates. The result is that monkeys also display economic biases and irrationalities similar to ours, demonstrating that many of our logical “errors” are hardwired into our evolutionary lineage. Minimal effort. If we are not rational in the strict sense, what are we? This is where one of the most interesting concepts in recent cognitive science comes in, pointing to an idea that changes the way we see ourselves: “resource rationality.” According to this modelthe human mind is not irrational, but hyperefficient, since the brain consumes an enormous amount of energy and time is always limited. With this premise, what our mind does is optimize our decisions taking into account the limited resources available to it. This causes us to take mental shortcuts and make biases because processing all the information perfectly would be a slow and exhausting process. In other words, the brain prefers a quick, “good enough” decision that keeps us alive, over a logically perfect decision that leaves us paralyzed analyzing data. Think to justify ourselves. In a 2021 article published in American Psychologistit is argued that humans are not nearly as “rational” as we tend to believe, and they suggest that rationalization itself may be a human adaptation. Often, we do not use our intellect to arrive at objective truth, but rather to justify decisions we have already made emotionally or intuitively. In a complex social environment, having the ability to convince others, justify our behavior, and coordinate group action was much more useful for social survival than being a solitary, purely objective thinker. We are adapting. All of this does not mean that we have a “broken” mind, but rather that science suggests that our mental processes should be judged not by whether they comply with textbook laws of probability, but by how well they function in the real, physical environment in which we operate. In short, it is not that we are incapable of reasons but that human rationality is limited, contextual and tremendously practical. We were not designed by evolution to pass formal logic exams or to be perfect algorithms with no margin for error. We were designed to make decisions that, with the incomplete information and limited time we have, allow us to see a new dawn. Images | Wes Hicks In Xataka | We had always believed that evolution had been arrested for thousands of years. The redheads were telling us the opposite

“Every repetition is an experiment for the brain”

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The premiere of the live-action remake of ‘Moana’ does not seem to have started too well, and it is already planned considerable losses in this attempt to recapture the success of the original film and its sequel, just a decade after the release of the first installment. But that does not detract from the achievements of the original ‘Moana’: it is still, according to figures from Disney itself, the most watched movie in the history of Disney+. What is so special about that film that makes it hold such a record? That success. Disney talks about more than 1.5 billion hours playedan amount unexpected even by the film’s creators themselves. Directors John Musker and Ron Clements they counted that when they learned the figure, the information left them perplexed: they had not imagined that the film would have such a journey in streaming, taking into account that it neither won an Oscar nor was it the highest grossing of the year of its release. Some explanation. Sam Wass, child psychologist and director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth at the University of East London, explains for The New York Times that a young child’s brain learns by predicting. Each viewing allows you to fine-tune a different prediction: first the general plot, then the jokes, the characters’ emotions or the vocabulary. Wass places the optimal point of learning in what he calls the “Goldilocks zone” (translated: Goldilocks), the space between the completely predictable and the impossible to anticipate. ‘Moana’ is especially attractive in that regard. The more complex the narrative is, the more repetitions are needed before it stops providing new information. ‘Moana’ meets this requirement better than a linear story, because it has several layers of reading at the same time: the maritime adventure, the family bond and the identity crisis of the protagonist. What seems like empty repetition to an adult may be, to a three-year-old brain, just the level of challenge it needs. why andThe adult also repeats. The phenomenon does not only apply to children. The aforementioned article talks about the studies of Cristel Antonia Russell, a marketing professor, who has spent a decade studying why people return to the same content over and over again, a phenomenon that certainly goes beyond the success of ‘Moana’. In 2012, together with Sidney J. Levy, he published a study in the Journal of Consumer Research on what they call “volitional reconsumption”: the conscious search for a hedonic experience already lived. Paradox of choice. Russell also resorts to the paradox of choice, the concept that psychologist Barry Schwartz raised in 2004 in his book of the same name: when options multiply, choosing something already proven reduces the cognitive load of deciding. It is linked to the phenomenon of marathon the same series over and over again: the self-control necessary to process new stimuli is exhausted, and returning to something familiar does not require that effort. Clinical psychologist Lecina Fernández matches in which the pattern is identical in children and adults: knowing how something ends eliminates uncertainty, and that absence of surprise is, in itself, pleasant. Watching ‘Moana’ for the umpteenth time and watching ‘The Office’ for the umpteenth time are phenomena, deep down, not very different from each other. The limit of the formula. But then, if repetition is so rewarding, why has the new version stumbled, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui? Critics have sunk the remake with 33% on Rotten Tomatoesbut possibly the secret of the puncture is precisely what has led to its streaming success: the new version is so mimetic of the original that the public has no reason to pay for something they already have, free and in a known version, in their own living room. At home, predictability is the advantage, as we have seen. But if we pay an entrance fee, we want surprises and novelty, even if the packaging is familiar. After the setbacks of the new versions of ‘Moana’ and ‘Snow White’, and despite the sweet smell of banknotes in ‘Lilo & Stitch’, in this case repetition does not guarantee pleasure. In Xataka | The failure of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is something more worrying for Disney: what the hell is it doing with Star Wars

Poor metabolic health ages your brain in a completely independent way

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We have almost always assumed that the decline of our mental abilities is an almost inevitable toll of the passage of time, since turning years old ages the brain, and that is a fact. However, science has been warning us for years that our lifestyle has a lot to say in this process, and that is why we have the power to delay brain aging. It is studied. An ambitious study has managed to draw an unprecedented map of exactly how different factors such as age and poor metabolic health act that ‘attack’ our brain. The point here is that they do it through totally different ‘paths’, meaning that, regardless of the age you put on your ID, the state of your metabolism is sculpting the health of your brain. Two axles. The main novelty comes from the hand of a recent published research in the prestigious magazine PLOS Biology where it is proposed to unravel how exactly natural aging and metabolic syndrome interact in our own brain. To achieve this, the researchers thoroughly analyzed more than 3,000 brain scans and what they found was that the brain does not suffer from an all-encompassing “wear and tear”, but rather responds to two completely independent axes of deterioration. The two ways. On the one hand, the usual chronological aging pathway was seen and, on the other hand, there is a specific deterioration network linked to poor metabolic health. The study says that metabolic problems, such as insulin resistance, hypertension or excess abdominal fat, impact the brain through metabolic pathways separate from those of pure cellular aging. This “metabolic axis” directly alters the amount of blood that reaches the brain to nourish it and is closely associated with a loss of cognitive flexibility, that is, our ability to adapt our thinking to new or unexpected situations. A puzzle. In addition to this study, already in 2024, a great analysis among the population of the United Kingdom demonstrated the consequences of suffering from a metabolic disease such as diabetes. What they determined was that, by observing people no dementia But with poor metabolic health, the researchers detected a lower total brain and gray matter volume, as well as the appearance of small brain lesions. This is what ultimately produces worse memory and less mental processing speed. And no, this is not a problem exclusive to the elderly, since when analyzing young and middle-aged adults, it was seen that the combination of obesity and poor metabolic health already showed direct associations with signs of brain aging in MRIs and worse cognitive function long before reaching old age. It can be modified. Unlike our date of birth, which logically cannot be modified, we can shape metabolic health little by little through diet, exercise and regular medical control to be able to find any problem that arises in our body in time. Images | cottonbro studio In Xataka | We’ve been trying to figure out why we gain weight for decades. Science is becoming clearer

“We are doing something pleasant, but producing, and our brain loves that”

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Like any social media user, over the last few years I have been continually bombarded with posts from people who have gone to all kinds of workshops. of art. From making clay bowls to painting tote bags, anything is worth taking the required photo while having a glass of wine or snacks with friends or strangers. All for the modest price of a piece of kidney. That’s how I saw it. A little piece of capitalism wrapped in glitter and pastel colors, together with one more check in the list of photos that any good Instagram user of the 21st century should have. However, over time I began to think that perhaps there was something more. The fever for ceramic or painting workshops It’s lasting long enough to be a simple fad. What if it actually had some use that is hooking all those people who not only dare to do it once, but often repeat it? It is clear that it has a relationship with capitalism. But what if, beyond being just another part of the machine, it was a way to relieve the stress and anxiety generated by illness? hyperproductivity of that capitalist society in which we live? I talked about it with the health psychologist Amanda Ortiz Gabaldonwho told me that, indeed, my thoughts were not wrong. That’s why I decided to do one of these workshops. I have always considered that crafts are not my thing. Honestly, my soul hurt for spending 50 euros in a ceramics workshop to make an amorphous vase. That’s why, when I found out that the Andalusian Neighborhood Site in Almería, where I live, was organizing a free ceramics workshop, I didn’t think twice. It was time to take the test. The benefits of ceramic workshops For Ortiz Gabaldón, there are three key reasons why ceramic workshops and other artistic activities are so fashionable. To begin with, human beings are social animals, but today we live in an individualized society. We have a visceral need to interact with other people and that is something that ceramic workshops can give us. “We are super disconnected and these are ways to meet new people.” On the other hand, ceramic workshops and other artistic disciplines are a way of mindfulness. “It is a way of being present, of forcing ourselves to stop.” During the duration of the workshop, there are no emails to answer, no work to do or shopping lists to prepare. It only remains be present on site and concentrate on the task. We can also do this at home. We can even set ourselves the daily task of doing nothing. We can sit on the couch and meditate, read, or just stop. But of course, this requires a concentration that we are not always able to achieve. That is why the third reason why, according to Ortiz Gabaldón, these types of workshops succeed is so important. “We are doing something pleasant, but producing, and our brain loves that.” That’s right, although we are disconnecting from the tasks that stress us, we are also producing. We are manufacturing something. That calms that feeling of having to continually do things that causes us so much anxiety. The ideal would be to be able to sit and do nothing; but, while we get there, this is an ideal middle ground. Shape to not think about anything In 1999, a psychologist from the Kyoto University of Education named Fumio Kayo saw something that caught his attention when visiting a kindergarten in that city. Both children and teachers were focused and enjoying the simple task of making mud balls. But they didn’t just roll balls. They used a technique that consists of taking wet sand to mold it and adding dry soil little by little, with great patience, until they obtained a soft, hard and shiny ball. The technique is called Hikaru Dorodango and Kayo saw it as an opportunity to work with children beyond that school. Upon studying it in depth, he discovered that it is very useful for children’s intellectual development for many reasons. There are the obvious reasons, such as improving fine motor skills. But there are also deeper reasons. Spending so much time shaping helps children improve concentration and perseverance through trial and error. Furthermore, they manage to overcome the immediate gratification drive which is increasingly ingrained in both children and adults. They don’t get a dopamine hit from watching a 20-second video. They must sit and concentrate on that ball of clay that is forming in their hands until, with time and patience, they get a nice marble. After Kayo published several articles about herthis technique crossed barriers to the West and became a form of meditative art that is also successful among adults. In a way, you achieve exactly the same thing as with ceramic workshops, but without more incentives such as a snack or interactions with other people. Whatever the case, it is increasingly clear that these activities have a great use against anxiety. In 2024, for example, a study was published in which 53 university students were surveyed regarding their mental health before and after completing a series of art therapy workshops. It was found that self-perceived anxiety levels decreased significantly with the workshops, especially those in which clay modeling was involved. It is true that normally these types of studies They are done with very few participants, but the reality is that they all point to very similar results that fit with what we have already seen. I have corroborated it Lately I’ve been going through a time of enough stressso I threw myself into the ceramics workshop hoping that it would really work for me as the psychologists say. And the truth is that yes. It was almost three hours on a Sunday morning molding an Andalusian lamp. Three hours in which, indeed, I focused on the here and now. I won’t deny that from time to time my mind wandered to everything I had … Read more

This is how strength training protects your heart, your brain and your life expectancy

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We have known for a long time that strength exercise It’s not just for having more muscles. and a more defined body. Today we understand that, to take care of our health, it is important to combine both strength and aerobic exercise. However, it is always good to have more evidence and more reasons to remind us of the importance of lifting weight. That’s why it’s so important a study recently published by scientists at Harvard Universityin which 150,000 people are followed for 30 years. This monitoring has allowed its authors to conclude that, indeed, those who practiced strength exercise regularly were more likely to continue to live older, since this practice protected them from numerous diseases, especially neurological and cardiovascular diseases. The reasons are clear, as is the fact that, in reality, the ideal is to combine this with aerobic exercise. Three studies, 30 years. In reality, this latest study is a review of 3 studies, all of them conducted in the United States. For 30 years, the health status of its participants was followed, while their sports habits were monitored. In those three decades, there were 36,000 participants who died from various causes. It wasn’t always due to not having exercised. After all, there are many factors that influence health. However, it was found that those who did between 90 and 120 minutes of strength exercise per week had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause than those who did not. The types of diseases most prevented. Although the percentage was calculated with respect to deaths from any cause, neurological and cardiovascular protection stands out in this study. In fact, this practice of strength exercise reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 19% and the risk from neurological disorders, especially dementia, by 27%. For all this, the study concludes that strength exercise has a positive effect on longevity. More is not always better. Another curious fact from this study is that those who did more than 120 minutes of strength exercise per week did not experience extra benefits. Therefore, if there is more time available, you can take advantage of it to do aerobic exercise, since, in reality, the ideal is to combine both types of training. The ideal combination. According to this same study, 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise reduces the risk of death from any cause by between 26% and 43%. But if this is also combined with the strength exercise mentioned above, the risk decreases by 45%. The ideal is to combine the two types of exercise to buy all possible longevity tickets. Two hours a week of strength exercise can be divided into two workouts in the gym. Training can be done full body both days, to train all muscle groups twice, but increasing the density of the upper part one day and the lower part another. As for 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise, it is very achievable. only with go walking to work or to run errands we would already have a good part accomplished. However, it is advisable to add several sessions of a somewhat more vigorous cardio, such as going for a run, swimming or cycling. Cardio, best distributed in several weekly sessions The causes. This is an observational study. That means a correlation has been seen, but not necessarily a causality. Those who strength exercise live longer, but their blood has not been analyzed, for example, for markers that indicate that quality of life. Even so, the authors of the research have their own hypotheses, also described in The Conversation by University of East London Professor John McNamara. To begin with, the muscle is a kind of sponge that, by order of insulin, absorbs a good part of the glucose that accumulates in the blood after eating. Thus, glucose acts as a source of energy for the muscle and does not increase in spikes or accumulate as fat. With all this, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or obesity. Clearly, yes there is more musclethe sponge is larger, which is why strength exercise is so important. Furthermore, with respect to cardiovascular diseases, myokines play an essential role. They are proteins that are released when the muscle contracts and that have a positive effect on the blood, reducing chronic inflammation. It is very beneficial against heart diseases; but also, again, for metabolic diseases and even against some types of cancer. On the other hand, it should be noted that this chemical cascade enhanced by strength exercise helps increase blood flow in organs such as the brain or liver and also reduces blood pressure and increases the flexibility of blood vessels. The key to longevity. A fall may be minor in a young person, but in the elderly it can lead to more broken bones, with a slower or incomplete recovery. The person’s health can greatly deteriorate. Therefore, one of the keys to longevity is to strengthen the bones. The musculoskeletal system is very well combined. Strong muscles also often translate into stronger bones. That’s why people live longer when they do strength exercise. Limitations to take into account. People who exercise, whether strength training or aerobic, often maintain other healthy habits as well. Furthermore, the study participants were health workers, so it is expected that they were clear about the measures to take care of their health. Therefore, it would be ideal to have done another similar study, with a greater variety of participants, and taking into account other habits to see the influence they have on the final result. Even so, everything points to a very beneficial routine for anyone. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | The trap of walking for the sake of walking: “Japanese walks” are much more effective than your daily hour-long walk

This is how strength training protects your heart, your brain and your life expectancy

by

We have known for a long time that strength exercise It’s not just for having more muscles. and a more defined body. Today we understand that, to take care of our health, it is important to combine both strength and aerobic exercise. However, it is always good to have more evidence and more reasons to remind us of the importance of lifting weight. That’s why it’s so important a study recently published by scientists at Harvard Universityin which 150,000 people are followed for 30 years. This monitoring has allowed its authors to conclude that, indeed, those who practiced strength exercise regularly were more likely to continue to live older, since this practice protected them from numerous diseases, especially neurological and cardiovascular diseases. The reasons are clear, as is the fact that, in reality, the ideal is to combine this with aerobic exercise. Three studies, 30 years. In reality, this latest study is a review of 3 studies, all of them conducted in the United States. For 30 years, the health status of its participants was followed, while their sports habits were monitored. In those three decades, there were 36,000 participants who died from various causes. It wasn’t always due to not having exercised. After all, there are many factors that influence health. However, it was found that those who did between 90 and 120 minutes of strength exercise per week had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause than those who did not. The types of diseases most prevented. Although the percentage was calculated with respect to deaths from any cause, neurological and cardiovascular protection stands out in this study. In fact, this practice of strength exercise reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 19% and the risk from neurological disorders, especially dementia, by 27%. For all this, the study concludes that strength exercise has a positive effect on longevity. More is not always better. Another curious fact from this study is that those who did more than 120 minutes of strength exercise per week did not experience extra benefits. Therefore, if there is more time available, you can take advantage of it to do aerobic exercise, since, in reality, the ideal is to combine both types of training. The ideal combination. According to this same study, 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise reduces the risk of death from any cause by between 26% and 43%. But if this is also combined with the strength exercise mentioned above, the risk decreases by 45%. The ideal is to combine the two types of exercise to buy all possible longevity tickets. Two hours a week of strength exercise can be divided into two workouts in the gym. Training can be done full body both days, to train all muscle groups twice, but increasing the density of the upper part one day and the lower part another. As for 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise, it is very achievable. only with go walking to work or to run errands we would already have a good part accomplished. However, it is advisable to add several sessions of a somewhat more vigorous cardio, such as going for a run, swimming or cycling. Cardio, best distributed in several weekly sessions The causes. This is an observational study. That means a correlation has been seen, but not necessarily a causality. Those who strength exercise live longer, but their blood has not been analyzed, for example, for markers that indicate that quality of life. Even so, the authors of the research have their own hypotheses, also described in The Conversation by University of East London Professor John McNamara. To begin with, the muscle is a kind of sponge that, by order of insulin, absorbs a good part of the glucose that accumulates in the blood after eating. Thus, glucose acts as a source of energy for the muscle and does not increase in spikes or accumulate as fat. With all this, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or obesity. Clearly, yes there is more musclethe sponge is larger, which is why strength exercise is so important. Furthermore, with respect to cardiovascular diseases, myokines play an essential role. They are proteins that are released when the muscle contracts and that have a positive effect on the blood, reducing chronic inflammation. It is very beneficial against heart diseases; but also, again, for metabolic diseases and even against some types of cancer. On the other hand, it should be noted that this chemical cascade enhanced by strength exercise helps increase blood flow in organs such as the brain or liver and also reduces blood pressure and increases the flexibility of blood vessels. The key to longevity. A fall may be minor in a young person, but in the elderly it can lead to more broken bones, with a slower or incomplete recovery. The person’s health can greatly deteriorate. Therefore, one of the keys to longevity is to strengthen the bones. The musculoskeletal system is very well combined. Strong muscles also often translate into stronger bones. That’s why people live longer when they do strength exercise. Limitations to take into account. People who exercise, whether strength training or aerobic, often maintain other healthy habits as well. Furthermore, the study participants were health workers, so it is expected that they were clear about the measures to take care of their health. Therefore, it would be ideal to have done another similar study, with a greater variety of participants, and taking into account other habits to see the influence they have on the final result. Even so, everything points to a very beneficial routine for anyone. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | The trap of walking for the sake of walking: “Japanese walks” are much more effective than your daily hour-long walk

Our brain has two different circuits for laughing, and one of them is ancestral

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Laughter seems like a simple and automatic act, but neurologically it is a enormously complex phenomenon. It is so complex that we have different types of laughter, since almost all of us have noticed the difference between that uncontrollable laughter that leaves us breathless and the polite laughter that we let out out of courtesy. Now, science suggests that laughter does not depend on a single circuit, but on at least two partially separate networks: one more linked to spontaneous and emotional laughter, and another to voluntary or social laughter. A question of evolution. This has been the focus of an interesting investigation published in Trends in Neurosciences that pointed out that we live with an “ancestral laugh” that is deeply emotional and is directly related to other primates. But, on the other hand, we have “human laughter” which is involuntary and intended to “look good.” To get to this point, the researchers analyzed dozens of patients to whom they performed electrical stimulation while they were awake in order to see the areas of the brain that ‘lighted up’ when they began to laugh. Two networks. The most technical results pointed to the existence of two brain circuits for laughter. The network of spontaneous laughter, which is ancestral, is activated when we hear a brilliant joke or when we are tickled. It is involuntary and purely emotional, causing the most primitive brain regions linked to the reward system and emotions to become active, such as the nucleus accumbens. On the other hand, the laughter that we emit voluntarily to join a conversation and show empathy activates a circuit that does not depend on emotions, but on motor and cognitive control. Two functions that are much superior on the phylogenetic scale of our species. In the disease. This division, which was already intuited in classic reviews, explains why some neurological diseases can nullify the ability to laugh at will, but keep spontaneous laughter intact, since it is in totally different places. With our ancestors. If voluntary laughter appears to be a sophisticated social tool developed by the Homo sapiens To complement language, spontaneous laughter is a direct echo of our evolutionary past. And to understand where this primal laughter comes from, a recent study published in Communications Biology analyzed the acoustics and rhythm of laughter with the aim of comparing laughter sequences in humans and great apes, demonstrating that there is a shared rhythmic pattern. In this way, when a chimpanzee or a bonobo is tickled, it emits vocalizations whose rhythm and timing bear a striking similarity to the spontaneous laughter of humans, or even the laughter of babies. Its meaning. This finding suggests an undeniable evolutionary continuity, since laughter did not appear out of nowhere in our species, but rather arose from neural and vocal networks that our hominid ancestors already possessed. Over hundreds of thousands of years, as our brains developed the motor and cognitive areas necessary for complex language, we “hijacked” that emotional vocalization to create a second circuit: controllable, voluntary, conversational laughter. A missing link. Discovering that laughter has a rhythmic “barcode” shared with apes and two distinct brain pathways is not just a biological curiosity. As points out Nature News Echoing these findings, understanding the evolution of laughter is a direct window into the evolution of vocal control. And the ability to fake a laugh or emit it voluntarily at the exact moment of a conversation requires immense brain plasticity. That is why understanding how we went from the involuntary gasps of primates to the subtle human laughter could be one of the master keys we have in our hands: how we have been able to develop the language we use today. Images | OurWhisky Foundation In Xataka | The human being is the primate that sleeps the least. Science is clear that it is a “radical evolutionary experiment”

This is what caffeine really does to your brain.

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For many, life before the first coffee of the day is a mere procedure. We cling to that hot cup looking for a “shot” of energy that will allow us to face the day ahead, but in reality science indicates that we are not getting extra energy. Added to this is the recent debate on social media and health podcasts that insists that drinking that coffee as soon as you wake up is a huge mistake. But what does the data really say? Caffeine does not give energy. To understand the effect that coffee has on us, we must first know the true protagonist of fatigue, which is adenosine. A molecule that accumulates as the day goes by and our brain consumes energy. In this way, adenosine acts as a switch that tells us “it’s time to sleep” when it reaches certain levels. With this clear, we can talk about caffeine, which is, purely and simply, an exercise in identity theft, since its chemical structure is very similar to adenosine. This is essential because, just like two identical keys fit into the same lock, caffeine manages to bind to the receptors where adenosine exerts its effect, blocking them. It is studied. In the minds of many people there is a fairly ingrained concept that caffeine is an enhancer that creates new energy. But in reality it is a ‘cognitive normalizer’ that manages to block the signals that induce fatigue and postpones sleep debt. There is a downturn. While caffeine is blocking its receptors, adenosine continues to accumulate in the brain as the day goes by, even though we do not feel it as it cannot bind anywhere to manifest its effects. But the moment the effect of caffeine wears off and it disengages from the receptors, all this accumulated adenosine enters at once. And the result is great fatigue, as if all our energy had been stolen. Drinking coffee. In recent years, promoted by renowned popularizers, the mantra that we must wait between 60 and 90 minutes after waking up to drink your first cup of coffee. The theory holds that this allows the natural morning cortisol spike to dissipate and the adenosine receptors to “clean up,” thus avoiding the dreaded afternoon crash. But the reality is that there is still a lack of robust clinical trials that show that delaying coffee changes energy levels or sleep quality. Furthermore, the morning cortisol peak is a natural and healthy process, seeing that in regular coffee consumers this hormonal cycle is not abnormally altered regardless of the time. It has its positive side. It should be noted that the most recent research indicates that the consumption of more than two cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline compared to those who do not consume it. It has even been seen that drinking three to five cups of coffee before noon is associated with a 16% less mortality from any cause and a 31% drop in cardiovascular risk. Images | Raymond Klavins In Xataka | Sleep experts agree: “Just a few minutes of screen time can delay the release of melatonin by several hours”

They have measured the brain age of people who usually meditate. The result is that he looks six years younger

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The age reflected on our identity card does not always coincide with the real age of our organs. In the field of neuroscience, the “brain age” has become a fascinating biomarker to understand how our nervous system ages and what factors can protect it. And now meditation seems to have a fundamental role in delaying this clock at least during our rest hours. A new study published in the magazine Mindfulness has found that people who practice meditation At an advanced level they have a “brain age” during sleep that is almost six years lower than their chronological age. A striking fact that opens doors in the study of neuroplasticity and the role that this habit can have in the lives of many people. Although logically we must move away from the idea of ​​suffering a miraculous “rejuvenation” How it has been seen. To understand the finding, we must first understand how this “brain age” is measured, and here the researchers did not use MRIs to see the size of the brain, but instead analyzed the electrical activity through electroencephalograms (EEG) during sleep. Its evolution. Something that is known is that, as we age, the brain waves we produce when sleeping change in predictable ways. Under this pretext, algorithms have been used to calculate a “brain age index” based on these electrical patterns. With these data, if the brain produces waves typical of someone of a similar age, the index is similar to zero, but if waves are produced from someone older, the index is positive. The method. The research team evaluated 34 people who meditate at an advanced level, belonging to the discipline Inner Engineering with an average age of 38 yearsand compared their sleep records with those of several control groups who did not meditate. The result here was that people who usually meditate showed an index that corresponded to people six years younger. That is, their brains, electrically speaking and while sleeping, behaved like those of people almost six years younger, while the control groups showed values ​​close to zero or slightly positive. One more biomarker. The findings fit like one more piece in a scientific puzzle that has been years in the making. Previous research already pointed to global changes in the EEG spectrum and greater neuroplasticity, and it was even seen that regular meditation caused an increase in brain gray matter and a possible neuroprotective effect. However, from a clinical standpoint, it is critical not to confuse an EEG marker with literal rejuvenation. The fact that the brain shows younger electrical patterns at night is an excellent biological indicator of brain health, but this study does not clinically prove that meditation is a proven tool for reversing cognitive decline. You have to be cautious. In this case it cannot be categorically stated that meditating rejuvenates the brain because there may be other factors that have not been measured. We must also keep in mind that we are dealing with a study on only 34 people, so the sample should be increased with the aim of extrapolating it to the entire population. Images | Drazen Zigic in Magnific In Xataka | The best 18 meditation, relaxation and mindfulness applications to have better mental health

a “biocable” for the brain

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Every day that passes we are closer to understand better our own brain, but also something almost more exciting: being able to fix it. The neuroscience It is a very important field because it connects biology, health and behavior to better understand human beings and in recent years we have been developing tools that allow us to go where we could not before. Neuralink or the chinese alternatives are an example, but now researchers at Duke University have gone another route: that of rewiring brain circuits. And the key is a biological “wire.” In short. A few days ago, the researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the American university published a study in Nature in which they presented LinCx. It is the abbreviation for ‘Long-term integration of Circuits using connexins’ and, under that complicated name, what is really hidden is something that acts as a biological bypass to repair damaged neuronal pathways. Until now, there were some drugs that allowed acting on cell populations, as well as electrical stimulation and optogenetic techniques, but what the researchers propose with LinCx is a way to create artificial electrical synapses in a very precise way and without any type of external stimulation. In this way, instead of affecting large populations of cells, the authors can take a closer look and decide which connections are made based on the needs of each person. How it works. The basis of LinCx is a fish, white perch or American Moronespecifically. The team built it from connexin proteins found naturally in this fish, where it naturally uses electrical synapses for rapid communication between cells. From them, the team designed two molecules and each of them couples only with its partner and not with natural brain proteins. This is the reason why they can fine-tune the cells to which they connect, avoiding those unwanted connections and forming that “cable” (in many quotes) that allows the synapse to be made. Researchers define it as “precise electrical connections at the cellular level.” The tests. At the moment, they have not tested it in humans, but they have tested it in both mice and nematode worms. In the worms, the installation of these connectors altered the temperature-seeking behavior with which they are regulated. In mice, the researchers focused on reorganizing specific circuits to measure both social interaction and stress response. There is still. As we said, it is a great advance in the field of neuroscience because, unlike drugs, this LinCx only connects the neurons that want to connect. It’s like precision aiming instead of shooting with a shotgun. Now, although the results are promising, the tests have been very limited to animals and the next step is to establish whether LinCx can be the answer to reversing synaptic deficits in disorders of genetic origin. It is the next step of research and, if the results are positive, it is what could bring this technology closer to use in humans. Without a doubt, this is something promising because it is the first time that there is a tool to precisely control communication between very specific cells, but there is still some way to go. In Xataka | Human beings are stopping having children on Earth. China is looking for the solution in space

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