5 Amazing Brain you must know.
Top Brain Fact you Wouldn't Expect
Humans are different from animals only due to the brain
difference. If there is no brain to humans its very hard to find difference
between humans and animals. The human brain is incredible. From joy to sadness,
love to hate, peace to war…whether it’s a trip to the moon or a trip to the
store, the human brain makes it all possible. So how much do you know about
this mass of neurons and glia? Here’s a few basic facts to get you started.
1. Your brain
is plastic.
Not made of plastic, but made with plasticity, meaning it can
be shaped and changed with new experiences. This is true for all ages, even if
there are certain aspects of brain function (i.e. language acquisition) that
are sensitive to critical periods of development. Every time that you learn
something new, feel positive or negative emotion, or take a drug that acts
within the brain, you create, weaken, or reinforce connections between neurons.
These connections influence your future behavior.
2. You can
generate your own neurons—and your own neural stem cells!
Even in adults, new neurons are “born” in the brain and
capable of integrating into existing neural networks. In fact, these new
neurons begin as stem cells, and adult neural stem cells may one day be used to
treat neurodegenerative diseases, the biggest advantage being that you could be
your own donor.
3. There
are billions of neurons in your head.
Common claims are 100 billion, but research-based estimates
actually suggest 86 billion neurons. And 85 billion other cells! Either way,
there’s a lot going on up there and in comparison to other species, our
abundance of neurons is what sets us apart—not (as commonly thought) our brain
size, brain-to-body ratio, neuron to non-neuronal cell ratio, or the relative
size of our cerebral cortex, according to a recent PNAS review on the subject.
4. You can
inherit susceptibility to psychiatric and neurological disorders…you can also
work to prevent them.
While there’s no guarantee that you’ll develop your
grandmother’s depression or your father’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies, you
may be at increased risk of developing disorders that run in your family when
you encounter stress or other environmental factors. Depression risk is a great
example. Depression risk is influenced by the form of the serotonin transporter
gene you’ve inherited—there’s a short version and a long one. People born with
the short form produce less of the transporter. They clear less serotonin from
the synapse, and in turn are more likely to develop depression when facing mild
to moderate stressors. Odds are even worse if they’re born with two short-form
alleles of the gene (one from each parent).
The good news? Even in the worst case scenario – an
individual with two short alleles and a number of life stressors – less than
half actually develop depression. So while you can inherit increased risk,
genetics isn’t deterministic; many other environmental and genetic factors may
help compensate for one “bad” gene. And if you know you’re at risk, you’re one
step closer to prevention.
5. You can
influence how many new neurons you generate.
Exercise increases neurogenesis, the process of generating
new neurons, in the brain. Not surprisingly, it also reduces depression and anxiety
and protects against dementia in the elderly. Alcohol consumption, on the other
hand, decreases neurogenesis.
To sum up, your brain is highly complex and open to change.
You can make the most of it by engaging as many of those billions of neurons as
much as possible every day. Every moment of your individual experience is
important for neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. By being aware of your
individual risk factors and learning ways to improve brain health, you can work
to prevent psychiatric and neurological disorders and foster an overall sense
of well-being.
References:
1. Herculano-Houzel S. (2012) The remarkable, yet not
extraordinary, human brain as a scaled-up primate brain and its associated
cost. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109 Suppl 1:10661-8. PMID: 22723358.
2. Caroni P, Donato F, Muller D. Structural plasticity upon
learning: regulation and functions. Nat Rev Neurosc. 13: 478-490. PMID:
22714019
3. Caspi A., Sugden K., Moffitt T.E., Taylor A., Craig I.W.,
Harrington H.L., McClay J.M., et al. Influence of Life Stress on Depression:
Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science 301 (2003)
PMID:12869766
4. Kendler K.S., Kuhn J.W., Vittum J., Prescott C.A., and
Riley B. The interaction of stressful life events and a serotonin transporter
polymorphism in the prediction of episodes of major depression. Arch. Gen.
Psychiatry 62: 529-535 (2005) PMID:15867106
5. Emsley J.G., Mitchell B.D., Kempermann G., and Macklis
J.D. Adult neurogenesis and repair of the adult CNS with neural progenitors,
precursors, and stem cells. Prog. Neurobiol. 75: 321-341 (2005) PMID:15913880
6. Olson AK, Eadie, BD, Ernst C, Christie BR. (2006)
Environmental enrichment and voluntary exercise massively increase neurogenesis
in the adult hippocampus via dissociable pathways. Hippocampus. 16: 250-260.
PMID: 16411242.
7. Anderson ML, Nokia MS, Govindaraju KP, Shors TJ. (2012)
Moderate drinking? Alcohol consumption significantly decreases neurogenesis in
the adult hippocampus. Neuroscience. Aug 18 [Epub ahead of print] PMID:
22906480
Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/717339
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