alt.hn

7/4/2026 at 11:41:10 PM

Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray

 https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2026/04/14/scientists-reverse-brain-aging-with-a-nasal-spray/

by cybermango

7/5/2026 at 12:48:14 AM

"Reverse brain aging", sure, in the same sense that taking Vitamin C reverses aging.

The nasal spray reduced markers of inflammation in hippocampal microglial cells.

A lot of things reduce inflammation. That is not "reversing ageing".

Of course, "reduces inflammation" doesn't headline very well...

by gavinray

7/5/2026 at 3:00:33 AM

There is a pop theory that aging is just scurvy in slow motion and Vitamin C hypersupplementation actually goes a long way in staving it off.

by roncesvalles

7/5/2026 at 2:37:48 AM

This is the current big grift in anti-aging science:

1 - Find a marker correlated with aging across a large sample

2 - Find a medication or supplement that also alters that marker

3 - Do some before and after measurements of the marker with the supplement or medication, and claim that you have reversed aging. Rely on the fact that enough readers won’t look closely enough to wonder if the marker is a true independent variable that represents aging.

by Aurornis

7/5/2026 at 1:23:11 AM

[flagged]

by fragmede

7/5/2026 at 2:36:19 AM

Sure let’s listen to someone with extreme anxiety about the most utterly democratic humane experience

by jordanboxer

7/5/2026 at 3:03:49 AM

Not all "utterly democratic humane experiences" are desired, so why not.

by Yiin

7/5/2026 at 3:20:36 AM

Why not have crippling anxiety? It shortens your lifespan for one.

by jquery

7/5/2026 at 12:54:33 AM

The article is also heavily ai generated, I call bs on every single bit

by mawadev

7/5/2026 at 12:56:07 AM

I thought the url said temu at first.

by bigmattystyles

7/5/2026 at 2:35:55 AM

Hah! Me too.

by RyanOD

7/5/2026 at 12:57:05 AM

Kinda surprised A&M’s letting them use AI to write these things

by rylando

7/5/2026 at 12:59:49 AM

>>The article is also heavily ai generated

can you please share your methodology for detecting ai please?

by dwa3592

7/5/2026 at 1:28:01 AM

“The most surprising part? It all happened within weeks and lasted for months.”

That’s an AI tell. It may not be entirely LLM-generated, the various direct quotations help a lot, but there are touches that definitely feel like an LLM had a hand here.

by TonyAlicea10

7/5/2026 at 3:11:49 PM

>>That’s an AI tell

do you have any other explanation other than tells? - maybe your tarot cards might have better explanation.

by dwa3592

7/5/2026 at 2:12:39 AM

That's not an "AI tell". If you read anything in recent decades, this is a turn of speech human writers wrote for ages and still write.

by ShinyLeftPad

7/5/2026 at 12:07:40 PM

I guess all AI writing patterns are copied from human writing. The tell is that you get patterns like that more frequently than with human writing and in odd places.

It's funny if you look at the paper https://isevjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jev... how different it is from the article. They basically tried their spray on 18 month old mice and then dissected their brains at 20.5 months to check inflammation.

by tim333

7/5/2026 at 3:15:08 PM

>>It's funny if you look at the paper https://isevjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jev... how different it is from the article

i can sense the lack of capacity for reasoning in your comment. it's okay. the paper and the article are written by two very different people. the article is written by someone in the communications team, who communicate "what's going on at the university" to the outside world . the paper is written by the actual scientists.

by dwa3592

7/5/2026 at 6:44:20 PM

>tried their spray on 18 month old mice and then dissected their brains at 20.5 months

is not the same facts as

>It all happened within weeks and lasted for months

I suspect LLM hallucination rather than different people. Or maybe I missed the bit where they tested it lasting for months?

by tim333

7/5/2026 at 2:19:05 AM

"It's not just x, it's y." Absolutely clear tell, especially at this frequency. Examples from the article below:

"Over decades, it doesn’t just wear down, it also starts to run hot." "... the therapy didn’t just clear brain fog, it physically improved the brain’s ability to process and store information."

The quotes as well: "'... Not just living longer, but living smarter and healthier,' Shetty said." "'We aren’t just trying to understand the biological mechanisms, we are translating and developing our findings into real-world therapies that could make a difference,' Shetty said."

by andregr

7/5/2026 at 2:23:58 AM

What that is is a tell of bad writing

by ShinyLeftPad

7/5/2026 at 2:40:00 AM

It's a tell of not writing. It is extremely well-documented as a tell of AI writing.

by andregr

7/5/2026 at 2:30:44 AM

Anybody who still writes using their own mind has stopped using that pattern, along with others. "The thing nobody tells you:" is no longer used by decent writers.

by rfrey

7/5/2026 at 3:16:14 AM

Yeah, like nobody uses em dashes anymore right?

by ShinyLeftPad

7/5/2026 at 3:54:10 AM

I know lots of writers who have (reluctantly) stopped using em-dashes. Many replaced them with colons, and are now wondering what they will replace colons with.

by rfrey

7/5/2026 at 5:11:28 AM

I know people who didn't:) Looks like we both know people.

by ShinyLeftPad

7/5/2026 at 2:24:12 AM

It’s a tell now. I see it I assume AI and disregard.

by damontal

7/5/2026 at 1:06:21 AM

Vibes. It is in the vibes.

by asdf88990

7/5/2026 at 1:28:36 AM

Just a heads up, you're firmly in Poe's Law territory.

by anonym29

7/5/2026 at 1:37:07 AM

Poe’s Law is the very essence of AI.

by hyperhello

7/5/2026 at 1:40:38 AM

[dead]

by nullsanity

7/5/2026 at 12:55:38 AM

c'mon you guys, chill. this is not a vaccine.

by dwa3592

7/5/2026 at 1:06:02 AM

AI generated? Not demonstrated.

Whining by humans claiming AI? Predictable. Probable. Indeed LLM "complete the sentence" predictable.

by scrubs

7/5/2026 at 3:00:06 AM

Sure, a human could be deliberately trying to sound like AI writing, or perhaps they've spent so much time reading it that they think it's normal.

by fwip

7/5/2026 at 12:35:43 AM

High impact journal for an interesting study that is admittedly largely out of my area of expertise. The limitation of it being done in animal models, is of course, noted, but also expected. The question I would ask is how well the underlying background research makes this outcome expected.

by SubiculumCode

7/5/2026 at 1:09:34 AM

Damn, that’s one hell of a way to say “is this any good though?”. Too many words for such a simple question.

by jskeicjwkxjwkd

7/5/2026 at 1:15:10 AM

Pretty much, lol. I started to say some other things but decided to say less.

by SubiculumCode

7/5/2026 at 2:11:19 AM

But "how well the underlying background research makes this outcome expected" does not mean "is this any good though".

It's also an actually interesting question.

It's one thing to find some things hard to follow, it's another to be proud of it.

by Brian_K_White

7/5/2026 at 12:24:10 AM

That's exactly what I want: immortal mice!

by earth-tattoo

7/5/2026 at 12:52:44 AM

You joke, but rodents make great pets, because they are very social and have a range of personalities, but most only live a few years. I knew someone with a pet retired lab rat, and it lived much longer than the average fancy rat, but even then, it didn't even live half as long as the average cat or dog.

If we could breed or treat rodents to live longer, we could keep low-resource pets without as much loss.

by dlcarrier

7/5/2026 at 12:49:32 AM

That's a surprisingly underused plot for a sci Fi horror film.

Considering the grand total of experiments we've ran on the little guys, I'm kinda surprised we haven't bred Mousezilla yet

by ghurtado

7/5/2026 at 1:07:35 AM

Or Pinky & the Brain

by bitwize

7/5/2026 at 1:55:43 AM

The Secret of NIMH

by topgrain2

7/5/2026 at 1:48:25 AM

See also: “Flowers for Algernon”

by bookofjoe

7/5/2026 at 12:36:25 AM

Flowers for Algernon’s Brain

by block_dagger

7/5/2026 at 1:40:59 AM

This short story was scarier to me as a kid than anything else I read at the time.

by wingmanjd

7/5/2026 at 12:58:43 AM

TFA reeks of over-sensationalizing. Here is a summary sans hyperbole:

Intranasal Human NSC-Derived EVs Therapy Can Restrain Inflammatory Microglial Transcriptome, and NLRP3 and cGAS-STING Signalling, in Aged Hippocampus[1].

Abstract:

> Neuroinflammaging, a moderate, chronic, and sterile inflammation in the hippocampus, contributes to age-related cognitive decline. Neuroinflammaging comprises the activation of the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat family, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes, and the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway that triggers type 1 interferon (IFN-1) signalling. Studies have shown that extracellular vesicles from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (hiPSC-NSC-EVs) contain therapeutic miRNAs that can alleviate neuroinflammation. Therefore, this study examined the effects of late middle-aged (18-month-old) male and female C57BL6/J mice receiving two intranasal doses of hiPSC-NSC-EVs on neuroinflammaging in the hippocampus at 20.5 months of age. Compared with animals receiving vehicle treatment, the hippocampus of animals receiving hiPSC-NSC-EVs exhibited reductions in astrocyte hypertrophy, microglial clusters, and oxidative stress, along with elevated expression of antioxidant proteins and genes that maintain mitochondrial respiratory chain integrity. Moreover, hiPSC-NSC-EVs therapy decreased the levels of various proteins involved in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase, cGAS-STING-IFN-1, and Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription signalling pathways. Furthermore, in vitro assays using genetically engineered RAW cells and hiPSC-NSC-EVs, with or without targeted depletion of specific miRNAs, demonstrated that miRNA-30e-3p and miRNA-181a-5p, both present in hiPSC-NSC-EVs, can significantly inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the STING pathway, respectively. Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing conducted 7 days post-treatment revealed that hiPSC-NSC-EVs induce widespread transcriptomic changes in microglia, including increased expression of numerous genes that enhance oxidative phosphorylation and reduced expression of abundant genes that drive multiple proinflammatory signalling pathways. These changes mediated by hiPSC-NSC-EVs were also associated with improved cognitive and memory function. Thus, intranasal hiPSC-NSC-EVs therapy in late middle age can effectively diminish proinflammatory microglial transcriptome and signalling cascades that drive neuroinflammaging in the hippocampus, contributing to better brain function in old age.

[1]: https://isevjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jev...

by catlifeonmars

7/5/2026 at 12:57:08 AM

How soon until biohackers try this on themselves?

by timmg

7/5/2026 at 5:06:08 AM

The failure scenarios are fun to imagine, like uncontrollable brain growth or waking nightmares as weird side effect of centuries-old brain.

by lioeters

7/5/2026 at 12:51:27 AM

I take N-acetylcysteine and it helps with brain fog also! Plus it reduces stress and irritability.

by hoppp

7/5/2026 at 1:47:47 AM

And OCD symptoms, and many also benefit from better impulse control. Its more effective than SSRIs for some.

NAC is one of the only known treatments for trichotillomania, a under discussed but common condition that causes people to uncontrollably pull their hair out.

NAC has also been studied to reduce nicotine and alchohol cravings as well.

by ai_fry_ur_brain

7/5/2026 at 2:46:59 AM

Are there any risks associated with NAC supplementation? For example, could long-term usage reduce aptosis and thereby increase risks of developing cancer?

by tmoertel

7/5/2026 at 2:53:50 AM

Some mixed cancer associations in animal models

by mbil

7/5/2026 at 2:28:53 AM

What is your dosage?

by aurareturn

7/5/2026 at 11:05:02 AM

I take 1200mg a day, when Im taking it. I think standard/reccomended dosage is 600mg.

by ai_fry_ur_brain

7/5/2026 at 2:37:29 PM

What's the reason to take it everyday? Does it truly make a difference everyday or could you get away with 1/3 days?

What are the effects on you?

by aurareturn

7/5/2026 at 12:48:41 AM

When can I snort this?

by general_reveal

7/5/2026 at 2:03:25 AM

I knew cocaine had to have an upside.

by grg0

7/5/2026 at 12:52:34 AM

Prepare a line for me also please

by hoppp

7/5/2026 at 1:02:10 AM

Grab me a bag while your there.

by tryagainian

7/4/2026 at 11:59:33 PM

...in mice.

> Therefore, this study examined the effects of late middle-aged (18-month-old) male and female C57BL6/J mice receiving two intranasal doses of hiPSC-NSC-EVs on neuroinflammaging in the hippocampus at 20.5 months of age.

— https://isevjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jev...

by amingilani

7/5/2026 at 12:09:40 AM

That PR piece was brutal to navigate. Undoubtedly punched up by AI, it took far too long to even understand what the treatment entailed.

by switchbak

7/5/2026 at 12:08:28 AM

To be fair though, I think we owe the mice a positive research outcome.

by doginasuit

7/5/2026 at 12:21:45 AM

“Congratulations, you get improved brain function while we continue to run other experiments on you!”

by antonvs

7/5/2026 at 12:51:32 AM

You can now experience both physical pain and existential dread!

by ghurtado

7/5/2026 at 1:05:36 AM

On the plus side, expect to see great works of literature authored by rodents.

by tryagainian

7/5/2026 at 12:30:48 AM

“There will be cake!”

by earthnail

7/5/2026 at 12:40:17 AM

The link to the actual paper was appreciated. The context of whether findings will generalize outside of mouse models can depend a lot on specifics of the problem.

by SubiculumCode

7/5/2026 at 1:43:16 AM

Many Brain-aging study sample pools are from young folks that died in accidents, aged homeless alcoholics, and individuals that were in declining health.

Most cultures find it taboo to donate their beloved family members bodies for scientific dissection. Thus, people get ingrained "[bigotry] with extra steps" similar to phrenology proponents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpson%27s_paradox

"Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance" =3

by Joel_Mckay

7/5/2026 at 12:12:31 AM

Mice get all the cool shit first

by fuckinpuppers

7/5/2026 at 12:18:34 AM

they get all the worst and most inane tortures too

by jjtheblunt

7/5/2026 at 12:22:18 AM

I even seen a mouse on youtube with it's own tiny EV sports car driving about!

by secretslol

7/5/2026 at 1:10:40 AM

This one?

https://youtube.com/shorts/E74r-ybeQfE

Someone needs to put an octopus in a mini vehicle.

by tryagainian

7/5/2026 at 1:35:47 PM

That's the one. I used a bit of creative freedom when describing a mouse with an EV sports car; it was a rat and an EV taxi.

by secretslol

7/5/2026 at 3:53:33 PM

Close enough

by tryagainian

7/5/2026 at 12:53:01 AM

Then they get murdered...

by hoppp

7/5/2026 at 3:08:17 AM

Temu science at Tamu.

I have an AI generated bridge that I can sell you...

by Alien1Being

7/5/2026 at 1:46:51 AM

[dead]

by huflungdung

7/5/2026 at 12:37:36 AM

[flagged]

by flintapi

7/5/2026 at 12:55:25 AM

Ugh, I thought we were done with the Boomers....looks like they're gonna hang on.

by keepamovin