I’m new to the forum here, so first off hello to everyone!
I found this piece by Crissman Loomis to be quite interesting. It suggests that 45% of dementia cases could be avoided/prevented with lifestyle interventions. It includes many great suggestions around exercise, sauna, dietary patterns, coffee, alcohol, etc. What is perhaps lesser appreciated is the controversy around the protective effects of education, and how factors like air pollution, hearing, and social connections matter.
The code is available on github with what appear to be good instructions on how to use it. I asked ChatGPT if I could somehow convert the SimonONE results to the format the algorithm expects and it sounded like it should be possible with all free software. I have not attempted yet though.
Ok, @dicarlo2, be my canary… after you figure it out, let me know! I have the same Simon one mri. Thanks!
@drew_ab Hi, and welcome to the forum! Thanks for posting this resource. Feel free to join in any conversations about topics that interest you regarding longevity or rapamycin.
On getting brain analysis on an MRI, I have some people use Brainkey.ai
I believe it is free and does a good job of mapping out each area of the brain and giving %tiles, etc.
Those %tiles and also atrophy/white matter changes would all have to be part of the calculation - but I suspect it is proprietary and licensed, just like Dunedin PACE.
We’ll have to see what @dicarlo2 figures out.
That is not good news.
I hope I haven’t impaired my mental health by taking gabapentin.
Gabapentin is dispensed like candy to the elderly. Any complaint of neuropathy, etc., can result in a gabapentin prescription. I hardly know any old folks who don’t have a gabapentin prescription for general aches and pains.
“Regarding effectiveness, research suggests that combining gabapentin with acetaminophen may provide better pain relief than either medication alone.”
The only pains that I have are some mild lower backaches resulting from my sleeping positions.
I have been taking gabapentin to reduce the amount of NSAIDs I take.
I think that’s the constituent parts of polypharmacy that’s unhealthy and give pharma a bad rep. Giving out drugs like these en masse.
It’s interesting because I can almost point out what’s different from these drugs to lets say some drug that lowers cholesterol via HMGCR inhibition. It might be that these affect the brain directly and have multiple effects (dirty drugs), unlike some clean mechanism of action and well isolated from the brain like statins.
Drugs that improve the brain via the body (statins, SGLT2 inhibitors(?), etc) vs. impact the brain directly might be an important distinction to make.
What I find confusing is this statement on the “number of prescriptions”… what exactly is the definition in this scenario of a “prescription” - is it a single month’s supply, or X number of refills on a given prescription (how long does a prescription typically last, for how many refills?)
Receiving six or more prescriptions of the drug gabapentin for low back pain is associated with significantly increased risks of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—29% and 85%, respectively—finds a large medical records study published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine .
Generally speaking, my doctors usually give me a 6-month prescription for medications that are typically prescribed for life, like metformin and statins. In my case, the gabapentin is a 600 mg tablet three times a day.
I had conducted some research on gabapentin and believed it might be a better option than NSAIDs.
I have been taking one 600 mg tablet with two extended-release acetaminophen tablets just before bedtime.
After reading the article, I won’t be taking gabapentin anymore.
Oddly, the paper referenced says the risk of increased dementia was in non-elderly adults.
In my case, it was first prescribed when I was 82 years old.
The observational risk for “non-elderly adults”
“patients with 12 or more prescriptions had a higher incidence of dementia”
“Conclusions Gabapentin prescription in adults with chronic low back pain is associated with increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, particularly in non-elderly adults.”
Some individuals I know perceive gabapentin as their “happy pill,” claiming that it elevates their mood. I have never personally known anyone who was taking gabapentin and gave it up. I will be the first.
“For example, one study found that 30% of patients with mood disorders showed significant mood improvement, and another reported a 57.5% improvement in depressive symptoms in a subgroup of depressed patients.”
I never noticed any effect like that, but then I have only been taking one 600 mg pill a day while accumulating two pills a day, so I do have a load of spare gabapentin.
Original article referenced:
“https://rapm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/02/rapm-2025-106577”
IIRC Peter Attia used low dose gabapentin for sleep. Based on how much I’ve seen people abuse gabapentin there might be withdrawals associated with it so you should probably ask a doctor and maybe about tapering. It’s hard to know what the doctors are thinking when they prescribe their meds.
edit: it was pregabalin.
We love fried okra… here in Missouri.
As common a side order as French fries. More please!
I love it too and it got planted a little late this year because of the spring we had. It’s maybe a foot high now, we will see blooms soon. Can’t wait.
Mostly eat it raw from the garden, though have dried it and soaked it with a spice selection added to olive oil I think. Good snack for winter.
Summary: New research shows that signs of Alzheimer’s disease can already be detected in the blood of people as young as their 40s. Finnish scientists found elevated Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers in middle-aged adults, especially among those with maternal history or kidney disease.
These findings suggest that blood-based testing could one day allow earlier, more targeted prevention while symptoms are still mild. However, more research is needed to set standards and avoid misdiagnosis before blood tests become routine.
Key Facts:
- Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers appear in some people as early as ages 41–56.
- High maternal biomarker levels and kidney disease were linked to higher risk in offspring.
- Blood-based biomarker tests could become a cost-effective screening tool, pending further validation.
READ THE RESEARCH ARTICLE (open access):
The healthy diets all focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and poultry. Fried foods, dairy, and meat are discouraged. It’s thought that this helps reduce stress inside the body and thus protect the brain from harm.
Open access paper:
Conclusion
Greater adherence to Mediterranean, MIND, and high-quality diets is associated with a lower risk of dementia, while pro-inflammatory diets increase the risk. High-quality anti-inflammatory diets play a
significant role in reducing the risk of dementia, with stronger effects observed in specific subgroups.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770725000880?via%3Dihub