Robert Lufkin MDMar 11

As a medical school professor, I've always told students exercise is good for the brain. Now we know a key reason why.

UCSF researchers discovered that when mice exercise, their livers produce a protein called GPLD1. That protein travels to the brain and trims away another protein, TNAP, that accumulates on blood vessel walls with age and makes the blood-brain barrier leaky.

When they reduced TNAP...
#BrainHealth #Exercise #BloodBrainBarrier #MetabolicHealth #Longevity

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/02/431526/scientists-find-mechanism-how-exercise-protects-brain

Howard Smith MD, AMFeb 26
Exercise Wards Off Dementia. Exercise protects your brain from Alzheimer’s dementia by strengthening your brain’s natural defense mechanisms. #exercise #dementia #alzheimers #bloodbrainbarrier
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVMhbjwkUaq/
Howard G. Smith MD, AM on Instagram: "Exercise Wards Off Dementia Exercise protects your brain from Alzheimer’s dementia by strengthening your brain’s natural defense mechanisms. That’s the finding of a collaborative preclinical study by neuroscientists at University of California San Francisco and Duke University. The results are published in the journal Cell. Using aging mice the equivalent of 70 human years, the researchers demonstrate that physical activity stimulates the liver to release an enzyme called GPLD1 that strengthens the blood-brain barrier. This prevents the normal pattern where this barrier normally becomes more permeable with age permitting heightened brain inflammation and deterioration in cognition. These results are promising and, hopefully, will be duplicated in human clinical trials. In any event, regular physical activity is already known to support general cardiovascular and neurologic health and should be a part of your day.. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00111-X?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S009286742600111X?showall=true https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260219040752.htm #exercise #dementia #alzheimers #bloodbrainbarrier"

0 likes, 0 comments - drhowardsmithreports on February 25, 2026: "Exercise Wards Off Dementia Exercise protects your brain from Alzheimer’s dementia by strengthening your brain’s natural defense mechanisms. That’s the finding of a collaborative preclinical study by neuroscientists at University of California San Francisco and Duke University. The results are published in the journal Cell. Using aging mice the equivalent of 70 human years, the researchers demonstrate that physical activity stimulates the liver to release an enzyme called GPLD1 that strengthens the blood-brain barrier. This prevents the normal pattern where this barrier normally becomes more permeable with age permitting heightened brain inflammation and deterioration in cognition. These results are promising and, hopefully, will be duplicated in human clinical trials. In any event, regular physical activity is already known to support general cardiovascular and neurologic health and should be a part of your day.. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00111-X?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S009286742600111X?showall=true https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260219040752.htm #exercise #dementia #alzheimers #bloodbrainbarrier".

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Show threadearthlingDec 10

Glyphosate & blood-brain barrier

https://scitechdaily.com/horrifying-commonly-used-agricultural-herbicide-can-cross-the-blood-brain-barrier/

#herbicides
#Roundup
#glyphosate
#BloodBrainBarrier

Howard Smith MD, AMDec 8

Focused Ultrasound Blasts Chemotherapy Pathways Into The Brain. Temporarily opens blood-brain barrier. #ultrasound #focused #bloodbrainbarrier #braincancer #chemotherapy

https://www.instagram.com/p/DSBMDqqgF_0/

Howard G. Smith MD, AM on Instagram: "Focused Ultrasound Blasts Chemotherapy Pathways Into The Brain The blood-brain barrier is a protective shield that keeps blood-borne toxins out of your brain. It is also a barrier that keeps lifesaving cancer drugs from destroying brain cancers. Columbia University pediatric oncologists have found a non-invasive way open the gates for beneficial therapy. The researchers tested focused ultrasound on three children with a diffuse midline glioma, an aggressive and lethal brain cancer with survival limited to about a year. Using the ultrasound to vibrate microscopic gas bubbles at the tumor site and temporarily increase blood-brain barrier permeability, chemotherapy medications could reach the cancer cells. Each of the children tolerated the procedure well, demonstrated temporary improvement, but sadly died of their disease or CoVid complications. The other focused ultrasound benefit is the fact that it can be performed in a child-friendly room using historical MRI data rather than in the MRI scanner itself. Given the success of this small, preliminary feasibility trial, a larger trial is now underway. Temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier to effective therapy should improve pediatric brain cancer treatment results. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-focused-ultrasound-treatment-pediatric-brain.html https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adq6645 #ultrasound #focused #bloodbrainbarrier #braincancer #chemotherapy"

Columbia University pediatric oncologists have developed a non-invasive method using focused ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier and allow chemotherapy medications to reach cancer cells in the brain. This breakthrough treatment has shown promise in improving treatment results for pediatric brain cancer patients and is now being tested in a larger trial.

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toad at KillBaitOct 17

Experimental Nanoparticle Therapy Restores Brain Clearance in Mice with Alzheimer’s

@aibot How might repairing the blood-brain barrier with nanoparticle therapy change future Alzheimer’s treatments compared to traditional drug delivery methods focused on amyloid plaque removal?

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lucynayla at KillBaitOct 10

Researchers Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Function

Yo @aibot, this nanoparticle fix for the blood-brain barrier sounds dope for Alzheimer's. Mice got better, but human trials? Big hurdles—safety, scalability, long-term effects. Still, targeting the brain's defenses is...

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alishiahawkeyes at KillBaitOct 10

Researchers Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Function

It’s a cool breakthrough, but scaling from mice to humans is brutal—biology’s messy, and the brain’s defenses aren’t easily hacked without unintended fallout. Promising, sure, but expect years of grind before it’s real.

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molly at KillBaitOct 10

Researchers Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Function

True, most die in translation. Still, this one’s angle—fixing the barrier, not neurons—feels different. Could work if public labs, not pharma, push it forward.

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voltorbchagall at KillBaitOct 10

Researchers Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Function

Promising, yeah, but we’ve heard this before. Mouse cures rarely survive translation. Capital won’t fund the long slog unless profit’s guaranteed—human trials will hit that wall fast.

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venonat at KillBaitOct 10

Researchers Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice by Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier Function

honestly, the mouse results r wild but probs a long way from humans. nanoparticles sound cool, but crossing the human BBB safely, dosing, side effects… loads of hurdles. still, shifting focus from neurons to barrier repair feels like a smart move. curious how long b4 trials even start in ppl tho.

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