Ososayensi bathole ubufakazi bokuthi ukuzindla kuhlotshaniswa nokwenyuka kwesikhathi sokuphila kanye nokusebenza kwengqondo okuthuthukisiwe ekugugeni.
Cishe usuzwile izikhathi ezingaphezu kwesisodwa ngemiphumela emihle eminingi engalethwa yimikhuba yokuzindla. Mhlawumbe ngisho ufunde ezihlokweni zami ngalesi sihloko. Isibonelo, ucwaningo olusha lubonisa ukuthi ukuzindla kunganciphisa ukucindezeleka nokukhathazeka, umfutho wegazi wehlise, futhi kukwenze ujabule.
Kwavela ukuthi ukuzindla kungenza okwengeziwe: kungasiza ukunciphisa inqubo yokuguga futhi kuthuthukise ikhwalithi yomsebenzi wokuqonda ekugugeni. Kungenzeka kanjani lokhu?
- Yehlisa ukuguga kwamaselula
Ukuzindla kuthinta isimo sethu somzimba ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene, kusukela ezingeni lamaselula. Ososayensi bahlukanisa ubude be-telomere nezinga le-telomerase njengezinkomba zokuguga kwamangqamuzana.
Amaseli ethu aqukethe ama-chromosome, noma ukulandelana kwe-DNA. Ama-telomere angama-“caps” amaprotheni avikelayo ekugcineni kwemicu ye-DNA edala izimo zokuphindaphindeka kwamangqamuzana. Lapho ama-telomere amade, kulapho ingqamuzana likwazi ukuhlukana khona futhi lizivuselele izikhathi eziningi. Isikhathi ngasinye amangqamuzana aphindaphindeka, ubude be-telomere - ngakho-ke ubude bempilo - buba bufushane. I-Telomerase iyi-enzyme evimbela ukufinyezwa kwe-telomere futhi isiza ukwandisa isikhathi sokuphila samaseli.
Lokhu kuqhathaniseka kanjani nobude bokuphila komuntu? Iqiniso liwukuthi ukufinyezwa kobude be-telomere kumaseli kuhlotshaniswa nokuwohloka kokusebenza kwamasosha omzimba, ukuthuthukiswa kwezifo zenhliziyo nemithambo yegazi kanye nezifo eziwohlokayo ezifana ne-osteoporosis nesifo i-Alzheimer's. Lapho ubude be-telomere bufushane, kulapho amangqamuzana ethu esengozini yokufa, futhi sisengozini yokuthola izifo ngokukhula.
Ukufinyezwa kwe-telomere kwenzeka ngokwemvelo njengoba sikhula, kodwa ucwaningo lwamanje lubonisa ukuthi le nqubo ingasheshiswa ukucindezeleka.
Ukuzijwayeza ukucabangela kuhlotshaniswa nokuncipha kokucabanga okungenzi lutho nokucindezeleka, ngakho ngo-2009 elinye iqembu locwaningo laphakamisa ukuthi ukuzindla kwengqondo kungase kube namandla okuba nomthelela omuhle ekugcineni ubude be-telomere namazinga e-telomerase.
Ngo-2013, u-Elizabeth Hodge, MD, uprofesa wezifo zengqondo e-Harvard Medical School, wahlola le nkolelo ngokuqhathanisa ubude be-telomere phakathi kwabazindla ngomusa wothando (ukuzindla kwe-metta) nalabo abangakwenzi. Imiphumela yabonisa ukuthi odokotela abanolwazi olunzulu lokuzindla nge-meta ngokuvamile banama-telomere amade, futhi abesifazane abazindla banama-telomere amade kakhulu uma kuqhathaniswa nabesifazane abangazindla.
- Ukulondolozwa komthamo wento empunga nemhlophe ebuchosheni
Enye indlela ukuzindla okungasiza ngayo ukuguga kancane ngokusebenzisa ubuchopho. Ikakhulukazi, umthamo wezinto ezimpunga nezimhlophe. I-Grey matter yenziwe amaseli obuchopho nama-dendrite athumela futhi amukele amasignali kuma-synapses ukuze asisize sicabange futhi sisebenze. Udaba olumhlophe lwakhiwe ngama-axon athwala amasignali angempela kagesi phakathi kwama-dendrites. Imvamisa, umthamo we-grey matter uqala ukwehla lapho usuneminyaka engama-30 ngamanani ahlukene nasezindaweni ezihlukene, kuye ngezici zomuntu. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, siqala ukulahlekelwa umthamo wendaba emhlophe.
Ucwaningo oluncane kodwa olukhulayo lubonisa ukuthi ngokuzindla siyakwazi ukuhlela kabusha ubuchopho bethu futhi sibambezele ukuwohloka kwesakhiwo.
Ocwaningweni luka Massachusetts General Isibhedlela ngokubambisana ne-Harvard Medical School ngo-2000, ososayensi basebenzisa i-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ukuze balinganise ubukhulu be-cortical grey kanye ne-white matter yobuchopho kubacabangi nabangewona abacabangi beminyaka ehlukene. Imiphumela yabonisa ukuthi isilinganiso sokuqina kwe-cortical kubantu abaphakathi kweminyaka engama-40 nengama-50 abazindlayo sifana nesabantu abazindlayo nabangebona abacabangisisayo abaphakathi kweminyaka engama-20 nengama-30. ukwakheka kobuchopho ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
Le miphumela ibaluleke ngokwanele ukuze ikhuthaze ososayensi ukuze benze ucwaningo olwengeziwe. Imibuzo elindele izimpendulo zesayensi ukuthi kudingekile kangakanani ukuzindla ukuze ube nemiphumela enjalo, futhi yiziphi izinhlobo zokuzindla ezinomthelela obaluleke kakhulu kwikhwalithi yokuguga, ikakhulukazi ukuvimbela izifo eziwohlokayo njengesifo i-Alzheimer's.
Sijwayele umqondo wokuthi izitho zethu nobuchopho ngokuhamba kwesikhathi zilandela indlela evamile yokuthuthukiswa nokuwohloka, kodwa ubufakazi obusha besayensi bubonisa ukuthi ngokuzindla siyakwazi ukuvikela amangqamuzana ethu ekugugeni ngaphambi kwesikhathi nokugcina impilo ekugugeni.