Researchers identify biomarker of cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis and long Covid

 Have your competent? doctors and hospital get research going on biomarkers of post stroke fatigue, so we can get protocols created that remove that fatigue! My idiot of a doctor just said I needed more cardiovascular fitness, i.e. more exercise.  He never tested my fitness level which was at the kevel of an athlete.

3 years post stroke at a physical I had a resting heart rate of 54 at age 53, level of an athlete. My doctor asked what exercises I was doing; 'I've done no exercises for the past 3 years'.  And now 20 years past the stroke my fitness has declined a bit, ALL BECAUSE MY STROKE MEDICAL 'PROFESSIONALS' COMPLETELY FAILED AT GETTING ME 100% RECOVERED!  Still managed to get to Tiger's Nest in Bhutan at 10,240 feet in 2023

Researchers identify biomarker of cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis and long Covid

New work could pave the way for objective assessment of cognitive fatigue across multiple conditions.

For many people with post-Covid-19 syndrome, also known as 'long Covid', the mental exhaustion, difficulties with concentrating, and impaired cognitive performance that characterise cognitive fatigue can be some of the most disabling symptoms. Cognitive fatigue is also commonly reported by people suffering from other post-viral conditions, as well as conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

However, the underlying causes of this kind of fatigue remain elusive, write Stefanie Linnhoff at Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany, and colleagues in a recent paper in Psychological Medicine. That's largely down to its "subjective and often invisible nature", along with a lack of objective diagnostic markers, they write. In their paper, though, they describe what they believe to be a marker — one that they think could be used to monitor cognitive fatigue in people with a range of different disorders.

Linnhoff and her colleagues recruited 119 participants for their study. Of these, 36 were healthy controls, 33 had 'long Covid-related fatigue', and 50 had MS. All completed a questionnaire that asked about cognitive fatigue, and this led the team to identify 23 of the MS group as being fatigued, and the rest as non-fatigued. The team then used EEG to monitor activity in the participants' brains while they spent three minutes at rest with their eyes closed.

When the researchers analysed the EEG data, they were on the look-out for something called 'aperiodic activity' — irregular electrical signals that were once dismissed as a kind of background noise in the brain, but are now recognised as representing the overall balance between excitation and inhibition in neural networks.

Two neurotransmitters are crucial for this balance; the neurotransmitter glutamate increases excitation (meaning signals are more likely to pass between neurons), while GABA does the opposite. Having the right 'excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance' is important for healthy brain function, and, as the team notes, disruptions to this balance have been linked to various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including MS.

When the team compared the subjective fatigue scores from the participants with the EEG recordings, they found that higher fatigue was associated with lower, flatter, aperiodic values, reflecting a shift towards excitatory activity, in the frontal region of the brain. The long Covid and the fatigued — but not the non-fatigued — MS participants had similar aperiodic activity.

This type of activity in one area of the frontal region, in particular, seemed to be especially tied to fatigue scores. This was the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area that is important for a number of cognitive functions, including sustained attention and cognitive control. The team writes: "This… points to the dlPFC as a potential common hub of vulnerability in fatigue, possibly reflecting a final common pathway of disrupted cognitive control due to impaired E/I balance."

Further work would be needed to explore whether changes to the E/I balance cause cognitive fatigue, or whether the opposite is true and fatigue drives changes in this balance — as well as to explore whether, as the team suspects, these findings will be replicated in people with cognitive fatigue associated with other conditions. Teams elsewhere are also investigating other potential brain markers of cognitive fatigue; in a recent study of groups of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis and long Covid, for example, Maira Inderyas at Griffith University in Australia and her colleagues reported finding reduced connectivity between various brain regions, which they linked to blunted motivation as well as cognition.

Linnhoff and her colleagues now hope that their findings will pave the way for new, objective ways of assessing cognitive fatigue in patients, as well as for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments.

Read the paper in full:
Linnhoff, S., Kadosh, R. C., & Tino Zaehle. (2026). EEG-based frontal excitation/inhibition balance as an objective biomarker for cognitive fatigue across multiple sclerosis and Long COVID. Psychological Medicine, 56, e21–e21. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291725103024

The Effects of Cordyceps in Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review of Animal Studies

When I was in Bhutan you could buy this, I didn't buy any. Ask your doctor what research they are doing on this.

All these benefits needing scientific proof. #6 seems really important.

The actual look of it

Cordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi that primarily infects insects, particularly insects living in high-altitude regions of Asia. The fungus is well-known for its unique lifecycle, where it takes over an insect's body and eventually emerges from the dead host, forming a club-shaped fruiting body. Cordyceps is also a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and is used in various forms as a supplement or herbal remedy. 

 The Effects of Cordyceps in Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review of Animal Studies

Soo-hwa Hong, Su-hyun Lim, Seung-hyun Jung

Dept. of Korean Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Bundang Oriental Medicine Hospital

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study reviewed the effects of Cordyceps (Dong-Chong-Xia-Cao) on stroke induced by vascular occlusion

in animal models.

Methods: A literature search was conducted across seven databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library,

KISS, RISS, and OASIS). After screening, article publication years, countries, animal models, intervention and control groups,

outcome measures, and study results were extracted. Article quality was assessed using the CAMARADES checklist.

Results: A total of 16 studies were reviewed. Cordyceps and its derivatives improved behavioral and cognitive function,

neuronal density, neurotransmission, and metabolism. It also reduced brain damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress while

preserving blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. These effects were observed in both pre- and post-intervention designs, though

some results were not significant. The overall study quality was moderate.

Conclusion: Cordyceps can effectively manage ischemic strokes, both as a preventive and therapeutic agent. More well-designed

studies are needed to understand its mechanisms and effects.

When Are We Officially “Old”?

 For me it's only when my trochanteric bursitis kicks in on my left hip that I feel old.

At 68 now, I'm still middle aged since I'm going to get to 100.  My fellow travelers on the Iceland trip I just completed were mostly in their 70's and laughed heartily at my definition of middle-aged.

Seljalandsfoss, you can actually walk behind this waterfall, I didn't because of 5 yards of slippery slanted rocks

Spent a hour here, wonderfully relaxing, but expensive drinks.

 

 

 

Skagafoss, with Rockey, who was on my Bhutan trip also

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gullfoss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Are We Officially “Old”?

Coach Maloney was my soccer coach in middle school and a mentor along the way. He’d been a former star high school athlete and practiced with our team, regularly dribbling past us with ease and outrunning us by several strides. Though he had thick muscular legs, he sported a rotund torso and a mostly bald head. At the time, I’d thought he was so old, which is why I marveled at his athleticism.

Yesterday, I looked back through my yearbook, and realized, “Oh my god. He was 38.”

I’m 40 now — and coach doesn’t look nearly as old as I remembered. It illustrates how our perception of age changes as we get a few years under our belt. There’s always an inner you that feels younger, and ready to conquer the world. Even if the person staring back in the mirror doesn’t match that feeling.

So when do we become old — officially? And how should we think and talk about our seniors? These questions go right to the heart of how we live and treat each other.

The evolving needs

Our definition of age has quickly evolved over the past 100 years, as life expectancies have risen dramatically, even discounting for the impact of falling infant mortality rates. This is particularly true for wealthy people, who are getting especially healthy years in their final chapters. Everything is relative in life, and aging is no different. If we reach a point where people are routinely living to 120+ and maintaining good health, perhaps turning 70 will be seen as middle-aged.

In the realm of academia, researchers technically define old age as 65, as this is a common point of retirement. It’s also when you become eligible for Social Security and Medicare. Per Dr. Karl Pillemeer, “For policy-planning purposes, ‘over 75’ is a much more meaningful demographic than ‘over 65’.” He adds that it is because people past 75 are much more likely to develop chronic disease. People between 65 and 75 are far more similar to those in middle age. So perhaps we shall respectfully dub old age as 75?

But is this even the right way to think about age? What words should we even use to describe it?

The word “old” feels inherently derogatory, and is associated with deterioration and obsolescence. It fails to account for the complexity and heterogeneity of aging. Some 40-year-olds are bedridden with diseases. Conversely, my dad is 70, swims over a mile a day, and still doesn’t need blood pressure meds.

It’s all relative.

Another option is “elderly”, but that also carries tons of baggage. It evokes feelings of someone needing extensive help just living, of them being unable to do the basics, like cleaning up after themselves and getting groceries.

The term was more common decades ago but has simply warped and become problematic. One simple test of language perceptions is to poll people in a retirement home on how much they identify with these terms. Per Dr. Clara Berridge, you’d be lucky to get one or two people in a crowded room to raise their hand when you use the term “elderly”.

Meanwhile, “geriatric” has too strong of a medical connotation, and evokes feelings of extended family trying to find the appropriate care for a high-maintenance loved one.

The term “senior” is confusing because it invites the question, “Senior to whom?” The term is also used with universities and high schools, and in job titles, such as “Senior Vice President”.

“Senior citizen” has readily apparent flaws, as many people aren’t actually citizens in the United States. The term also feels very 1990s, and paired with baggage as well.

The term “older” tends to have a less negative connotation, though it still feels like a label, though less so than “old”.

One recommended option is: “older adults”. This label is shown to reduce negative perceptions and stereotyping more than other terms. This might feel persnickety and unnecessary. But remember that language can very much evoke quick conclusions and discriminatory thinking.

Older adults isn’t a perfect solution. It implies there is a group of younger adults, which isn’t properly defined. But the ambiguity itself helps reduce categorical thinking.

Figuring out the path forward

And to be clear, we can’t erase the societal bias that goes against older adults. More than 93% of people between the ages of 50 and 80 will experience ageism at some point. Sadly, it’s a form of bigotry that most of us will both experience and unintentionally perpetrate. Which is why we should think more clearly about how we describe age, to help account for this bias.

This is particularly true as we witnessed a full-scale attack on President Biden for his age, with mean-spirited memes showing him falling downstairs and stammering over his words. And while I get that he’s the president, and open to criticism as any other, I worry that the ageist floodgates have been opened to take shots at everyday people.

And the problem is — this bias is even common with older adults against each other. Dr. Clara W. Martinson observed a 55+ condo where residents didn’t want other residents in wheelchairs playing games in the display window. Why? Because they worried it would lower their property value. One resident even wanted a separate dining hall for those in wheelchairs, saying that, “I don’t like the intermingling of the well and the sick.”

And this is the challenge: we draw conclusions about older adults based on their physical status. Healthy older adults get more of a hall pass for being old, while the others are placed into a lower tier as if they have somehow failed in life.

This is why it’s problematic to use phrases like, “80 is the new 50.” It plays pretend with what aging actually is, and creates a meritocratic psychology around an unfair process. It’s the framework of “successful aging” which is ableist. It causes harm and mental health issues in those dealing with chronic disease.

It’s an unconscious bias that comes naturally and without notice, namely because our heavy focus on chronological age is a modern construct and not a great measure of actual aging. Some 65-year-olds are running companies. Others are at the mercy of early-onset dementia.

The challenge is that we are proven to define a successful older adult, in this case, aged 65 and older, as having completed three criteria:

1. Having avoided major diseases.

2. Having no disabilities.

3. Having maintained full physical and cognitive function.

I fail at all of these due to my stroke, but I do have full cognitive function

This is not only a narrow criteria, but deceptively hard to attain, with only 12% of older adults fitting into this category. So we implicitly categorize the remainder in a “less than” category, without actually saying it.

I urge you to live healthy, treat your body kindly, and turn to others with an empathetic heart. Remember that we are all on this shared journey of getting older, and will all succumb to the wear and tear life inevitably brings.

Think carefully about how you describe, think about, and treat older adults. You will one day be one of them. And remember that ill health visits many otherwise disciplined, health-oriented people. Do not judge someone for a disease or disability beyond their control.

Remember that aging is a gift, and the mere act of being alive alongside another is an exceedingly rare, and special coincidence.

Sean Kernan

Yahoo Creator

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longer boot laces

 While my lock/lace system works on my boots, there is one major flaw.  The laces don't open up enough to easily get the hiking boots on and off. I noticed this in airports when traveling to/from Bhutan. Wearing the boots to allow more space in luggage.  Will swap out with parachute cord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Added much longer parachute cord to allow the tongue to open up completely. It took me 30 minutes to get each lace thru the locking circle because the melted tips didn't easily go thru even when I used a vise grip to hold the button shut.

Failure at Buddist meditation

 In Bhutan lots of people are chanting the 108(108 represents the number of mortal desires of mankind which one must overcome to achieve Nirvana.)  using the left hand to count the beads on the mala while spinning the prayer wheel with the right hand. My doctor and therapist totally failed at recovering the left hand.  They excused that failure by citing proximal to distal recovery(which is a totally bogus excuse).

Foot problems walking downhill

 In Bhutan we hiked up to Tiger's Nest starting at 8500 feet and going up to 10,400 feet. In normal walking my foot splays out a bit due to my spasticity. But on downhill stretches the left foot actually pigeon toes in a bit, so all the my weight needing to be stopped presses against my left little toe.  It caused a blister and made the last 1000 feet down quite painful. All because my doctors and therapists did nothing to get correct heel strike and correct walking done.  My useless PT just demonstrated correct walking and said: 'Walk this way'. What useless instruction!  If I could walk that way I wouldn't need a therapist. 

Tiger's Nest from the stairs

The path before you get to the steps, it is that steep.

Our guide and driver showing us the route to Tiger's Nest

More curled toe problems

 I'm in Bhutan and in a week I'll be hiking the trail to Tigers Nest. 3.7-mile out-and-back trail near Paro Dzong, Paro. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 16 min to complete. 

The sacred structure sits at 3,120m (10,240ft) above sea level.

 The downhill portion back will be painful. Just today walked down a steep 100 yard path at Takin nature preserve and my left three little toes curled under and screamed at me, even wearing a toe crest on the fourth toe.  Damn my doctor and therapists for not even attempting to solve that spasticity in my toes.

Happiness

 Well I'm happy. I'm retired and divorced.

Tried to read 'Neurodharma; New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness'. But it was tough going and never figured out what the seven practices were until I read a review.

The subtitle of the book indicates there are seven practices of highest happiness. They are:

• Steadying the mind

• Warming the heart

• Resting in fullness

• Being wholeness

• Receiving nowness

• Opening into allness

• Finding timelessness 

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I preferred the book;

'8 mindful steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path' there is this point. 'Desire causes suffering'; page 52.

You'll have to figure out the conundrum yourself. Desiring happiness causes suffering.

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I haven't finished reading the book: 'The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha's Brain; Happiness, love & wisdom'. So no clue if this is going to help. 

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 And the reason I am so happy is this:

I don't know where my resiliency came from, stroke at 50, fired at 55, divorced at 57.

 I still walk funny and the left arm and hand are useless and I see nothing out there that is going to get those recovered because no one in the world is working on CURING SPASTICITY, not the useless manage spasticity.  

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Yet I'm the happiest I've ever been. 

Mine is here:

Why my stroke was the best thing to ever happen to me

 

Then there is this:

Happiness: A Novel Outcome Measure in Stroke?

Going to Bhutan in August for two weeks with Road Scholar. They measure Gross National Happiness.

The Birthplace Of 'Gross National Happiness' Is Growing A Bit Cynical

I'll do Norway next year to climb to the top of Preikestolen

Distance: 7.6 km (4.7 miles)
Elevation Gain: 350 meters (1150 feet)
Difficulty: Moderate
Length of Time: 4 to 5 hours

WHO SEARO Stroke Care Improvement Project in Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Timor Leste

 Notice the term; 'care improvement', NOT results or recovery improvement. This tyranny of low expectations is why stroke is never solved and we need survivors in charge.

WHO SEARO Stroke Care Improvement Project in Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Timor Leste

25 May 2021 | International Journal of Stroke

The comprehensive stroke program of Christian Medical College Ludhiana, in collaboration with the World health Organization (SEARO), launched in April 2020 with the aim of improving stroke care services in Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Timor Leste.

The WHO SEAR project began its first phase in August 2020. This first phase empowered >50 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and therapists in Bhutan, in evidence-based stroke care across the care continuum. Phase one was successfully completed in Bhutan in April 2021, whilst similar initiatives are also currently underway in the Maldives and Timor-Leste.  

Dr. Jeyaraj D Pandian, Principal and Professor of Neurology at Christian Medical College Ludhiana, India and Vice-President of World Stroke Organisation, who works closely on this study said:  “We have been involved in building capacity for stroke care among the members of multidisciplinary teams in Bhutan, Maldives, Timor-Leste and Myanmar.  These teams include doctors, nurses and rehabilitation therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists).”

Bhutan, Timor-Leste & Maldives have also successfully implemented standardized stroke protocols and have completed training in establishing stroke registries. The training and teaching programs implemented in Phase 1 will continue to run throughout the next phases, and will also include practical demonstration and case discussions.

In order extend the project, the next stage is to implement stroke care services and establish stroke units in 5 countries (Bhutan, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Nepal & Sri Lanka) and in Myanmar, if feasible.  “Myanmar posed a challenge due to the political unrest in the country. Unfortunately, they could not continue in the study, but we hope they may be able to rejoin in the next stages of the project.” explained Dr. Jeyaraj D Pandian

Alongside this, the team are hoping to collect data on establishing stroke registries in each of these countries. This will help to inform the improvement of stroke care and future set-up of stroke registries and units in other countries.

Due to the successful outcomes and improved care continuum in the target countries so far, the project is also being extended to include Nepal and Sri Lanka in its second phase, which will run from May 2021 to December 2021. This will help to empower even more healthcare workers in improving stroke care across the globe. The team are also hoping to receive funding from WHO Geneva for an Implementation research of evidence based stroke interventions in Bhutan.

The team at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, have highlighted that their planned future directions include:

1. A World Stroke Day forum (October 29^th 2021) for the 11 member countries of WHO SEAR (WHO country representatives, Ministry of Health in each country and health care professionals).
2. The expansion of the current program to other regions as expressed by WHO Geneva.
3. Continues collaboration on an ongoing project of WHO Geneva with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control on NCDs, to prepare a national policy on "Implementation of Evidence based stroke interventions across stroke continuum of care including prevention" in China.

“Despite the challenging times it is immensely gratifying to see improvements in stroke care and services in the region. The active participation of health professionals in these countries has only proven the heights to which Stroke care can improve.” said Dr Jeyaraj D Pandian.

 

Caterpillar fungi may benefit asthma patients

Its got anti-inflammatory properties and inflamation in the brain is a problem. Get your researcher involved.

When I was in Bhutan you could buy this, I didn't buy any. Ask your doctor what research they are doing on this.

All these benefits needing scientific proof. #6 seems really important.

Caterpillar fungi may benefit asthma patients

Research shows that cordycepin, extracted from a group of rare parasitic caterpillar fungi of the genus Cordyceps, has unusual anti-inflammatory properties that may make it a good candidate for treating conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
The investigators, led by Cornelia de Moor (University of Nottingham, UK), found that cordycepin, which is similar in structure to adenosine, inhibits the stimulation of inflammatory messenger RNAs (mRNAs) by cytokines secreted by smooth muscle cells in the human airway, but does not affect the expression of "housekeeping" mRNAs.
"We have shown that cordycepin reduces the expression of inflammatory genes in airway smooth muscle cells by acting on the final step in the synthesis of their messenger RNAs (mRNAs) which carry the chemical blueprint for the synthesis of proteins. This process is called polyadenylation," said de Moor in a press statement.
"However, it is a surprise that cordycepin does not affect the synthesis of mRNAs from other genes, because nearly all mRNAs require polyadenylation," she said.
Cordyceps fungi live on hibernating caterpillars in the Tibetan mountains and have been a highly sought after component of Chinese medicine for many years. Studies have suggested the fungi could be used to treat a variety of conditions including cancer, stroke, kidney disease, and inflammatory lung disease, but scientific evidence regarding the mechanism of action of cordycepin was unclear until now.