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Aging, tissue repair, and the longevity benefits of psilocin.

Episode Summary: Dr. Louise Hecker discusses her research on tissue repair and regeneration, explaining how fibroblasts drive wound healing by forming scar tissue but fail to resolve properly with age, leading to fibrotic diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and liver cirrhosis; they discuss aging hallmarks such as oxidative stress and telomere shortening, and highlight Hecker's study showing psilocybin's active metabolite, psilocin, extends cellular lifespan in lab cultures by reducing oxidants and preserving telomeres, while monthly doses in aged mice improved appearance and survival rates.

About the guest: Louise Hecker, PhD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, specializing in repair and regeneration processes, particularly in aging and fibrotic diseases.

Discussion Points:

Fibroblasts are dormant cells that activate during injury to pull wounds closed and form scars, then de-differentiate or die; aging impairs this, causing persistent scarring and disease.
Aging reduces the body's regenerative capacity; different organs vary in repair efficiency, with skin healing better than heart tissue.
Oxidative stress, like "rust" in the body, accumulates with age due to imbalanced reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant defenses, contributing to cellular damage.
Telomeres act as protective DNA caps that shorten with cell divisions, serving as a hallmark of biological aging; sirtuins are master regulators influencing aging processes.
Hecker's in vitro study showed psilocin dose-dependently extended fibroblast lifespan by 29-50%, lowering oxidative stress below young cell levels and preserving telomeres.
In aged mice (equivalent to 60-65 human years), monthly high-dose psilocybin (15 mg/kg) led to healthier appearance, regrown fur, and 80% survival when controls reached 50% mortality after 10 months.
Psilocybin's effects may stem from serotonin receptors expressed in many cell types beyond the brain, suggesting broader anti-aging potential; future work explores mechanisms, optimal dosing, and applications for age-related diseases.
Fungi like magic mushrooms represent an under-explored "kingdom" for medicine, with psilocybin's durable effects hinting at systemic impacts on aging.

Reference Paper:

Study: Psilocybin treatment extends cellular lifespan and improves survival of aged mice

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69. 专访陈萨：不弹钢琴，我可能是个摄影师吧

“有两样东西对我的生命起着奇妙的作用：音乐和旅行。总能随他们带我去到离地面和现实有些距离的地方，穿越着时间，和风漫步，与光起舞。

若非一直停停走走，变幻地去感知，人其实又何需仅是重复已见熟知的喜怒哀乐。我们从快乐的前一秒跌进后一秒的失落，之后，再煽动双翼，向着光的方向靠近…够忙乎一阵子了。”

这段话不是我写的，而是我手上拿着的一本小册子里面的，而这本小册子又是来自一盘钢琴曲专辑《德彪西24首前奏曲》。

如果你有听过焦元溥老师的节目《一听就懂的古典音乐史》，一定对德彪西不陌生。

我真的很久没有触摸到一盘实体专辑了，这张包装非常有设计感的《德彪西24首前奏曲》是由国内非常优秀的钢琴家陈萨来演奏的，开场的那段文字也是她写的。

陈萨是在傅聪和殷承宗先生之后，第三位录制德彪西前奏曲全集的中国钢琴家。

看萨姐的微博@--same--，有时候会觉得这是一个被钢琴事业耽误了的摄影师，有时候又觉得是一个很调皮的文艺女青年。

我和萨姐约了3月初的采访，对于这样画风的嘉宾，录音棚或者办公室都显得太过中规中矩。最后，我们把地点选在了一家开在汽车修理厂里面的咖啡厅，所以如果你一会儿在里面听到乒乒乓乓的声音，千万不要惊讶。

你和古典音乐有怎样的故事？这期节目我们送个小福利，针对这个问题，在看理想app本期节目留言区留言质量最高的三位朋友，都会获得萨姐的这张超棒的实体专辑，希望你爱上或者更爱古典音乐。

本期歌单：

Agnes Obel - Just So

陈萨-minstrels (游吟诗人)

陈萨-brouillards (雾)

陈萨-la danse de puck (小鬼头帕克的舞蹈)

Ólafur Arnalds - 21：05

陈萨-les tierces alternées (交替的三度)