EFTA02652224.pdf

From: jeffrey E. <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, April 24, 2017 12:14 PM To: Ed Boyden Subject: Re: Plants glad to help. I think we might want to inquire=C2 re the similarities of plants and animals. . =stressors , disease. energy. . f=n. why do people and treees first get taller than =ider . i get it for plants. On Mon A r 24 2017 at 8:01 AM Ed Bo d wrote: Thanks f=r the metformin reminder! So far my immediate family has avoided diabetes by diet choice, but for my other relatives, I'll let them know. I agree that mapping out the ways plants communicate, would be fascinating. Perhaps we can write down the words and rules akin to a<=r> language. Very interesting on the aluminum front. We need ways to see how different building blocks are processed, trafficked, etc. in the body. One hope I have for our project on the world's smallest mammal is that<=r> we can watch molecules and atoms throughout the entire "life cycle&quo=; of the processes of the body. Ed On Thu, Apr 20, 2017 at 6:23 AM, jeffrey E. <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]» wrote: > dont forget the metformin, for insulin resistance.=C2 it is supposedly > a wonder drug. > Not sure how to think about the neurobiology of plants. There is a rob=st > bunch of literature on how plant cells are stressed, how they respond =nd > how they build biological resilience along the way. Because they are s=ssile > and can't just call their doc for a prescription, whatever they do=has to be > relatively simple and part of a very basic process that either displac=s, > overcomes, outdoes or modifies a stressor to make it manageable. > Plants don't have nerves per se but they have cells that behave in=a similar > way for similar purposes as our nerves. Plants do use what we call > neurotransmitters .... catecholamines like dopamine and norepi- they h=ve > tons of acetylcholine and the same degradation pathways, and even the =ame > glutamate pathways and receptors humans do. And, more. > Classes of movements are common to almost all plants, just as with hum=ns. > Darwin described them pretty well. Breakdown in these movement systems=can > look similar in humans - we just have more types of motion to deal wit= than EFTA_R1_01895290 EFTA02652224  > plants ... like when we get dopamine deficient in Parkinson or atrophi=d > alpha motor neurons in ALS. They have similar problems in their motor<=r> systems, and usually they overcome them if they can adapt to or beat t=e > stressor. > Plants also have memory (used mostly for growth and reproduction) and =ome > think different types of cognition too. While glutamate is a big playe= in > that process, it isn't the only one. Some of the chemicals have al=o evolved > to serve similar functions, including a lot of similarity in core func=ion > between chlorophyll and melanin. Chlorophyll serves to capture light a=d > create energy, the core function require to sustain a sessile plant. M=lanin > becomes dopamine, which allows humans to move and somehow plays other =ore > important roles that we don't yet understand as the melanocytes ar= derived > from neural crest cells (high priced embryologic real estate...) > Stressors to motor or cognitive processes include(there are more): > Water > Sodium > Temperature > Heavy metals > Pathogens (bugs) > Also, light is very toxic to roots and certain type of internal cells =n > vascular plants. > So can plants get Alzheimer•like protein aggregation diseases that slo=ly > disrupt cognitive function to the point of death? > Can they get disordered movement disorders like Parkinson where they l=ck a > particular chemical or wasting diseases like ALS where their locomotio= > capacity is slowly diminished. > Yes, they do. And many more diseases too. > In the case of acidified soil, aluminum (normally not particularly > bothersome unless in super high concentration) acts as a stressor in a=very > similar way to what we see in alzheimer pathology. Using metabolic pat=ways, > root absorption of other elements, or even transfer of nutrients from =oot > symbionts, plant cells that are not consumed by the stress can manage,=adapt > or clear the stressor. The pathology in a very specific part of the ro=t > appears very similar to plaques/tangles, as does the resulting behavio= in > plants. > In humans, there is no viable use for aluminum and toxicity has long b=en > known. It is unlikely there is much concern on an environmental basis=but > maybe. I think there is probably enough silica . silicates in our wate= to > balance in out. But on a tiny scale, focused hits of aluminum can be v=ry > deadly and especially when they are in an acidic environment. > Recently, a common type of drug (PPI / proton pump inhibitor) taken fo= > heartburn, acid reflux or peptic ulcers was correlated w Alzheimer (Sa=ple > from 74,000 people over age 75 from 2004-2011 in Germany). Specificall=, 2 EFTA_R1_01895291 EFTA02652225  > patients on PPI are thought to have a 44% increased risk of dementia. =ut in > my view the mechanism doesn't quite make sense - what does make se=se is > that patients with heartburn reflux or ulcers also take antacids. And =he > most common ingredient in antacids is aluminum. Not just regular alumi=um > but straight to the most acidified part of the human body, so that the=br> aluminum becomes quite reactive. Some of the aluminum will be uptaken =y the > bidirectional parasympathetics (vagal) and transported into the nervou= > system, but some of the aluminum will also pass through the gut and up=et > both the microbiome and the gut (enteric) nervous system as well. It d=esn't > take much and it doesn't even have to stay for very long, but if y=u are > taking aluminum (or other active heavy metal) almost every day for man= > years, you will pay the price - even if your body can find a way to re=ove > it pretty quickly. Meanwhile the inflammation in the cells will contin=e. > I do think there is a similar situation happening in the enteric nervo=s > system that is the trigger for Parkinsons - which is why there are gas=ric, > integumentary and gut symptoms very early and persistently throughout.=My > suspicion is that it affects either the microbiome and/or eventually t=e > dopmainergic neurons of the gut. Over time, this will migrate up the v=gus > or along some melanin/dopaminergic pathway to make trouble. Whatever p=thway > that allowed the melanin to migrate to the brain the first place is al=owing > the stressor to follow, probably bound to some form of co-variable. MO=e > later on ALS. > But what do plants do, how do they do it and why aren't we doing i=? > -- > please note > The information contained in this communication is > confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may > constitute inside information, and is intended only for > the use of the addressee. It is the property of > JEE > Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this > communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited > and may be unlawful. If you have received this > communication in error, please notify us immediately by > return e-mail or by e-mail to <mailto:[email protected]> , and > destroy this communication and all copies thereof, > including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved 3 EFTA_R1_01895292 EFTA02652226  Ed Boyden, Ph. D. Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute, Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive =ciences Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Building E15: E15-421, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, MA 02139 (mailing address) Building 46: 46-2171C, 43 Vassar =AO please note The information contained i= this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged,=may constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use =f the addressee. It is the property of JEE Unauthorized use, disclos=re or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly pro=ibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication =n error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to =a href="[email protected]" targetCblank">jeevacation@gmai=.com, and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, inc=uding all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved --001allcllbfa0c7e2c054de88c37-- conversation-id 46684 date-last-viewed 0 date-received 1493036060 flags 8590195713 gmail-label-ids 7 remote-id 707676 4 EFTA_R1_01895293 EFTA02652227