Neurogenesis: How to Change Your Brain
Submitted by
Annie White on November 13, 2010 – 7:04 am
Your brain is the most complex and sensitive organ in your body. Responsible for every-thing you do, say, see, here, feel, smell, taste- it is keeping you alive and when it fails, you fail. As we experience an increase of life expectancy due to advances in medicine, we also are seeing a rise in the various symptoms of aging, particularly in the aging of the brain with diseases like Alzheimer’s and other dementia. It has been widely taught and accepted that brain cells do not regenerate like the rest of the cells in our body. Scary, the most important organ in our life has a shelf life! Thankfully, this is not really the case. Studies now show that the brain does have the capacity to regenerate. Within each of our brains, there is a population of neural stem cells which are continually replenished and can differentiate into brain neurons. You can encourage this regeneration by taking simple and healthful steps such as being more active and watching how you eat. Dementia rates around the globe are expected to double every 20 years for the foreseeable future, with an estimated 81 million cases by 2040. Hopefully, these studies can help guide individuals to be proactive in improving the health of their brain and reducing their chances of developing neurological disorders. How wonderful to know that putting in a little effort to be healthier can go such a long way. Your health is in your hands.
This long-held tenet, first proposed by Professor Cajal, held that brain neurons were unique because they lacked the ability to regenerate. In 1998, the journal Nature Medicine published a report indicating that neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells, does indeed occur in humans. As Sharon Begley remarked in her book, “Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain,” “The discovery overturned generations of conventional wisdom in neuroscience. The human brain is not limited to the neurons it is born with, or even the neurons that fill in after the explosion of brain development in early childhood.” What the researchers discovered was that within each of our brains there exists a population of neural stem cells which are continually replenished and can differentiate into brain neurons. Simply stated, we are all experiencing brain stem cell therapy every moment of our lives. As one might expect, the process of neurogenesis is controlled by our DNA. A specific gene codes for the production of a protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which plays a key role in creating new neurons. Studies reveal decreased BDNF in Alzheimer’s patients, as well as in a variety of neurological conditions including epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fortunately, many of the factors that influence our DNA to produce BDNF factors are under our direct control. The gene that turns on BDNF is activated by a variety of factors including physical exercise, caloric restriction, curcumin and the omega-3 fat, DHA. This is a powerful message. These factors are all within our grasp and represent choices we can make to turn on the gene for neurogenesis. Thus, we can treat ourselves to stem cell therapy by taking control of our gene expression. Physical Exercise With this understanding of the relationship of BDNF to exercise, researchers in a report in theJournal of the American Medical Association, entitled “Effect of Physical Activity in Cognitive Function in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease,” found that elderly individuals engaged in regular physical exercise for a 24-week period had an improvement of an astounding 1,800 percent on measures of memory, language ability, attention and other important cognitive functions compared to an age-matched group not involved in the exercise program. The mechanism by which exercise enhances brain performance is described in these and other studies as sitting squarely with increased production of BDNF. Just by engaging in regular physical exercise, you open the door to the possibility of actively taking control of your mental destiny. Caloric Restriction Curcumin DHA Harnessing the expression of our DNA is empowering, and the tools to better brain health are available to us all — right now! By: David Perlmutter, MD http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-perlmutter-md/neurogenesis-what-it-mean_b_777163.html |
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