|
|
| |
| One Part of Fish Oil Slowed Brain Repair After Head Injuries |
| Fish oil is everywhere. Millions of men over 50 take it. But a study published earlier this year in Cell Reports flagged a concern with one of its two main fats. The work came from Onder Albayram, a neuroscientist at the Medical University of South Carolina. |
| His team gave mice seven mild head impacts over nine days. Early on, all the mice recovered at the same rate no matter what they ate. But months later, the fish-oil-fed injured mice did worse on movement tests and spatial learning. The damage showed up long after the injuries stopped. |
| Let me explain what happened. Fish oil carries two main fats: EPA and DHA. Think of your brain’s blood vessels as pipes. After a crack, the body sends a repair crew. DHA stayed out of the way. EPA got between the crew and the pipe. In the study, EPA weakened the vessel walls and set off a buildup of tau, a protein tied to brain decline. DHA did none of that. |
| |
When the team tested human-derived brain vessel cells, they saw the same split. DHA left the repair process alone. EPA interfered with it. The difference between the two may matter more than the total amount of fish oil you take. |
|
| This was a mouse study of repeated head injuries, not a trial in healthy people. It does not prove that a daily fish oil capsule hurts your brain. I could be wrong about how far to push these results. But I believe the split between EPA and DHA is worth paying attention to. |
| Check the back of your fish oil bottle. |
| Medical University of South Carolina · Cell Reports · March 25, 2026 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| End Every Shower Cold for Two Minutes |
| Cold water wakes up your hormones. When your skin hits water around 50 degrees, your body releases norepinephrine, a hormone that sharpens focus and attention. Two minutes at that temperature roughly doubles the level. You feel it as a wave of alertness. |
| Over repeated days, the cold shifts a second system. It helps bring down cortisol, your main stress hormone. It also holds dopamine higher for longer. A review in Molecular Psychiatry in September 2026 traced the path: cold sensors in your skin send a signal to the brain, and the brain switches on the network that runs your stress and focus hormones. |
| The protocol fits inside any shower you already take. |
| The Protocol |
| When |
| Each morning, at the end of your regular shower. |
| Duration |
| Start with 30 seconds. Build to 2 minutes over two weeks. |
| Rules |
| Turn the water to the coldest setting. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Do not hold your breath. Daily. |
| |
| You may feel a jolt the first few days. That is the norepinephrine doing its job. After four weeks the cortisol response flattens and the focus stays. Give it 28 mornings. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cortisol Rewires the Brain to Lock In Emotional Memories |
| Stress does more than spike your heart rate. Yale scientists found that cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, reshapes brain networks tied to both memory and emotion. That means emotional experiences form stronger, longer-lasting memories. Elizabeth Goldfarb, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, led the study. It was published in Science Advances. |
| Yale School of Medicine · October 2026 |
|
|
| Oslo Launches a Trial to Test Whether Sauna Eases Depression |
| Heat may ease depression. Eva Hilland, a cognitive neuroscientist at Oslo Metropolitan University, is recruiting 50 people for a controlled trial pairing sauna sessions with mental health habits. In a related earlier study of 30 people with depression, a majority of the treatment group saw a 50 percent symptom drop within one week. Hilland says the field is early but worth watching. |
| NPR · October 2026 |
|
|
| Frequent Cannabis Users May Wake With Higher Stress Hormones |
| Cortisol came up again. Oregon State University tested morning levels in 39 frequent cannabis users and 43 controls. The users did not have a bigger morning spike. Their cortisol was simply higher the moment they woke. Anita Cservenka led the study, published in the journal Cannabis. The design was cross-sectional, so it does not prove cause. |
| Oregon State University · June 2026 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| Three drugs moved forward this month. Two target Parkinson’s disease from different angles. One extends an approved Alzheimer’s drug to a new form of dementia. |
|
| Fights Brain Inflammation in Early Parkinson’s |
| BioVie tested its drug bezisterim in 57 patients with early-stage Parkinson’s and saw improvements in motor symptoms, daily functioning, and blood markers of brain inflammation. |
| Phase 2 completed. Presented at ANA 2026, San Diego. |
|
|
| Repairs Cell Power Plants to Slow Motor Decline |
| South Korean company Glaceum gave 99 patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s either 400 mg, 800 mg, or placebo daily for 24 weeks. The 800 mg group’s motor score improved by 3.56 points over placebo. The drug, vutiglabridin, targets mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside your cells that keep neurons running. |
| Phase 2a completed. Presented at MDS Congress 2026, Seoul. |
|
|
| Clears Sticky Brain Protein, Now Testing in Lewy Body Dementia |
| Eli Lilly’s Kisunla, also called donanemab, was approved for early Alzheimer’s in 2024. It clears amyloid, the sticky protein that builds up in the brain. Lilly is now enrolling 350 people in TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 7 to test whether it helps people with early cognitive decline with both Alzheimer’s and Lewy body changes. |
| Phase 2 trial enrolling. Results expected 2028. |
|
|
