Excessive Brain Activity Is Linked <br />to Shorter Life Span in New Study.<br />Published in 'Nature' magazine, <br />the study was conducted by <br />researchers at Harvard Medical School.<br />Researchers compared donated <br />brain tissue of those who lived <br />unusually long lives to those <br />who died in their 60s and 70s.<br />Between the two groups, <br />researchers found a difference <br />in the levels of a protein called REST.<br />REST is involved in obstructing <br />genes that ignite activity in the brain.<br />Those who lived longer lives <br />had a higher level of REST than <br />those who died before their mid 80s.<br />There's the idea that you want to keep your brain active in later life. [According to the study,] the thing that is super unexpected is ... limiting neural activity is a good thing in healthy aging. , Michael McConnell, Lieber Institute for Brain Development, via 'Greenwich Time'.<br />The lead study author said that <br />aging seems to somehow make <br />"the brain less efficient." This seems to <br />be "harmful ... reduc[ing] lifespan as a result.".<br />The study researchers are in <br />the beginning stages of testing the <br />implications of targeting REST with drugs
