Quick note about Life Story Magic. Someone smarter than I am might have thought to ask customers for reviews earlier than I did. But they’re coming in now!
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"Bill knows how to ask the questions that actually matter. I gave this as a gift to my 92-year-old father and my wife — watching both of them light up as they told their stories was worth the price alone. They both felt genuinely special, heard, and valued. Don't wait too long!"
— Chris C., California
Thanks to everyone who signed up over the weekend — I’m excited to get started.
If you’d like to give Life Story Magic as a Mother’s Day gift, use code UNDERSTANDABLY for $100 off our already-discounted rate. Mother’s Day is May 11 — and don’t worry, there’s no expiration on the interview itself.
Scientists have a term for the slow, smoldering inflammation that builds up in the brain’s memory center as you age: “neuroinflammaging.”
It quietly degrades the cellular machinery that keeps you sharp, making it harder to form new memories, think clearly, and adapt to new situations.
For decades, researchers considered it essentially unavoidable — a tax on getting older that everyone eventually pays.
Now, a team at Texas A&M University just published new research suggesting that may not be true.
“Brain age-related diseases like dementia are a major health concern worldwide,” said Ashok Shetty of Texas A&M’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine, who led the research. “What we’re showing is brain aging can be reversed, to help people stay mentally sharp, socially engaged, and free from age-related decline.”
A nasal spray?
The researchers developed a therapy using microscopic biological “delivery parcels,” called extracellular vesicles, loaded with genetic cargo that targets the inflammation pathways driving brain aging.
The surprising thing is the delivery route: a nasal spray, which means the vesicles travel directly into the brain’s memory center by way of the olfactory nerves, bypassing the brain’s notoriously difficult-to-cross protective barrier.
“The mode of delivery is one of the most exciting aspects of our approach,” said Maheedhar Kodali, a senior researcher. “Intranasal delivery allows us to reach, and treat, the brain directly without invasive procedures.”
The entire treatment is just two doses. The findings were published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.
In aging mice, the results were striking. Within weeks of treatment, the researchers observed dramatically reduced chronic brain inflammation, recharged mitochondria — the cellular power plants inside neurons — and measurably improved memory and object recognition.
The results held for months. Unlike many studies where outcomes vary by sex, the therapy worked equally well in males and females — something the researchers specifically flagged.
Treated animals recognized familiar objects and detected changes in their environment more like younger animals than their untreated peers.
“We are seeing the brain’s own repair systems switch on, healing inflammation and restoring itself,” Shetty said.
Texas A&M has filed a U.S. patent on the therapy.
“Successful brain aging”
To be clear, this research was conducted in mice, not humans. So, it’s not as if you’re going to go to the pharmacy tomorrow and find this kind of nasal spray on the shelves right next to the allergy medicines.
Plenty of promising animal studies have not translated to clinical success in people, and brain research has a long track record of findings that looked revolutionary in a lab and proved far more complicated in practice.
So, the path from here to a human treatment runs through clinical-grade manufacturing, FDA approval for trials, and collaboration with biotech companies — a process that typically takes years.
That said, it’s worth noting for at least two reasons beyond the “nasal spray” curiosity:
First, this is the same lab’s second major finding in this area. Their earlier work focused on Alzheimer’s disease specifically. This newer study expands the scope to normal brain aging, suggesting the underlying approach may be broadly applicable rather than disease specific.
Second, the conceptual shift here is significant. The scientific consensus has long treated brain aging as a one-way street. However, this research, and a growing body of work like it, suggests is that the inflammation driving cognitive decline may be a target, not a given.
“We are aiming for successful brain aging,” Shetty said. “Keeping people engaged, alert, and connected. Not just living longer but living smarter and healthier.”
Other things worth knowing …
Axios: The U.S. is using force in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomacy in New York in an effort to break Tehran’s chokehold on the vital shipping lane. Why it matters: Iran has already shown it’s willing to respond with force, putting the two countries on the verge of a return to full-fledged war.
AFP: A massive land, air and sea search continues for two U.S. soldiers who disappeared while on a training deployment in southern Morocco, amid fears they may have fallen off seaside cliffs and into the ocean. “I can confirm this incident is not related to terrorism but appears to be an accident,” a U.S. official said.
Fast Company: A viral influencer wants to buy Spirit Airlines and run it like the Green Bay Packers. Could it work? Hunter Peterson wants to turn Spirit, which suspended operations over the weekend, into an airline ‘for the people.’ The internet’s response proves how dire air travel has become.
Benzinga: Warren Buffett warned that financial markets are increasingly being driven by speculation rather than long-term investing, saying he has “never had people in a more gambling mood than now.” Speaking in a CNBC interview during Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s annual shareholders meeting, the longtime investor criticized the surge in short-term trading behavior, particularly the rise of options trading and prediction-style bets.
Politico: Inside the Quiet Republican Effort to Flip Fetterman: As the Pennsylvania Democrat increasingly is isolated within his own party, Republicans are quietly trying to win him over. Trump has made the sell, offering his patented total and complete endorsement plus a financial windfall to the Pennsylvanian.
L.A. Times: In Bel-Air, a $400-million mega-mansion aims for the national price record.
NPR: A new bipartisan bill in Congress aims to curb what lawmakers say are predatory collection practices by so-called “claim shark” companies that charge disabled veterans for help claiming benefits. The legislation was prompted by a 2025 NPR investigation of how a Florida company was using auto-dialer software to access a VA benefits hotline meant for veterans, and then sending veterans a bill if their payments increased.
Thanks for reading. Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.
Hmmm.. I am more interested in what is being shot up my nose than the delivery horse. Only one sentence about that part…” The researchers developed a therapy using microscopic biological “delivery parcels,” called extracellular vesicles, loaded with genetic cargo that targets the inflammation pathways driving brain aging.”
Jeepers, genetic cargo?? I dunno…
Regarding "claim shark" legislation: I'm a disabled veteran. There are a number of Congressionally-chartered Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) providing veterans with free benefits assistance. VSOs are VA-trained, operate within strict guidelines, and can access veterans' online benefits records. Claim sharks are not chartered, not trained, and do not have access to records. They use questionable practices to complete claims paperwork, charge fees that easily reach into five figures, and demand the veterans' VA login credentials to monitor benefit changes. Several states have already passed legislation to rein them in. It's about time Congress takes action.