Brain Myths #5

The last myth we'll discuss in this cluster is the belief that you lose millions of brain cells every day and that they cannot be replaced. Yes, studies estimate that the average human brain loses about 85,000 neurons every day from the cortex. This is about one every second. However, when you really look at what this means, it's a tiny percentage of the neurons in your brain. Some estimates are that at the rate of one neuron per second, it would take you nearly 600 years to lose even half of your brain's neurons. Indeed because of neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons) Researcher Paul Coleman at the University of Rochester showed that the total number of nerve cells in your brain at age twenty does not significantly change when you reach age seventy. That's great news. How do you stimulate the neurons you do have?  By engaging in 30 minutes of challenging mental exercise every day--and by 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise every day. Studies with rats by Sam Sisodia, U of Chicago Alzheimer's researcher, showed that physical exercise and mental stimulation protected mice from exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer's even when they had been engineer to carry a human Alzheimer's mutation in their genome. So get busy . . . one hour a day is great prevention and can help you have a healthier older life. It may not only extend your years but help you keep life in those years.

Brain Myths #4

Have you been told that your brain is hardwired and that it cannot be changed? Studies by Karl Lashley with rats have shown that this myth needs to be viewed with a great deal of skepticism. Yes the brain has circuitry but its connections are composed of living tissue. There are no wires that cannot be altered, so to speak. Your brain's circuitry is definitely able to be reshaped by what you think and by the experiences you give your brain. There's an old saying:  neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that as you expose your brain to new experience and practice new skills, you can, in effect, rewire some of this circuitry and enhance your brain's function. The bottom line is that you are no hardwired in the sense that you are unable to alter your brain's circuitry. You brain is resilient. The process of neuroplasticity allows you to actually reshape your brain through your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Go for it!

Brain Myths #3

A very prevalent myth is that aging of the brain is not only inevitable and irreversible but also that there's little you can do about the process. Dump this myth now!  Studies suggest that in most cases you can slow down the onset of symptoms of aging through the lifestyle that you create and embrace.  Even the definition of old age is shifting. New slogans are emerging:  70 is the new 50; old age begins after age 85. The bottom line is that many people get lazy and apathetic about learning as they age. This is lethal for optimum brain function, which loves variety and responds well to learning new information. Many people relatively secure about what they know and avoid going out of their way to continually challenge their brain by learning something new. That's one reason travel is so good for the brain:  you give it new things to look at, smell, taste, hear, and different people and cultures with which to relate. You can increase your awareness of what is around you and converse with others about what you are perceiving and learning. You can choose to follow an upward learning curve no matter how old you are. This is one way you can create new dendrites on your new neurons, new synapses, and pathways that can help to stave off Alzheimer's disease. My brain's opinion?  It's more than worth the effort!

Brain Myths #2

A second myth that limits many individuals is a belief that when the brain becomes injured it likely will be unable to heal again. The brain may be injured in many different ways:  trauma due to strokes or a vehicle accident or being hit or damaged as in playing some sports. And, yes, due to this type of damage some of the connections between neurons are destroyed. Recent studies have shown that although this damage to neuronal connections (synapses) do interfere with brain functions, this often can be compensated for by other neurons stepping up their game and growing new connections. The nerves in brain and spinal column do not seem to regenerate as quickly as do nerves in the peripheral nervous system, but growth can and does happen. Neuroplasticity is better than mind over matter.  One saying goes this way:  if you want to know what your thoughts were like in the past, look at your body today.  If you want to know what your body will be like in the future, look at your thoughts today." What are your thoughts doing today?

Brain Myths #1

Myths about brain function abound. One is that the brain is rather one-dimensional in that you are pretty much as the whim of genetics and how your brain was developed by genes and chromosomes; that you are preprogrammed to be successful or unsuccessful. Dump this myth. The brain is multidimensional beyond imagination. Yes, you are the product of genes and chromosomes and you are impacted by epigenetics (cellular memory). However, accepting the position that biology is destiny runs in the face of what we know of the human brain. For example, more than half the facts that impact your rate of aging are within your partial if not complete control.  This is very important to understand, especially in relation to the plasticity of the brain. "Your brain made you do it" is an unfortunate default explanation for every behavior that is undesirable. That could be considered an example of allowing your brain use you, when in actuality you need to take responsibility for programming your brain and for using it in a way that will help you achieve the positive outcomes that you are able to picture.

Expectations and Your Brain

I'm making a list of key "secrets" about the brain, or perhaps "laws of the  brain" might be a better phrase. Expectations are extremely powerful, personal expectations, the expectations of others that you may buy into, and so on. Low expectations translate to low results. Studies have shown that the same school room of students performed entirely differently depending on the expectations of the teachers.  One teacher thought the students were not very bright and actually made comments that the students would be lucky to pass. The next year a different teacher to the same group of students thought the students were capable of doing very well in school, making comments that she expected them all to be able to earn good grades. The outcome? The students performed to the expectations of their teacher. One of the laws of the brain states: all things being equal you brain performs to your expectations. Low expectations mean low results. As Deepak Chopra put it in his book Super Brain, "Your brain is always evesdropping on your thoughts. As it listens, it learns. If you teach it about limitation, your brain will become limited." Take a few minutes today and identify some of the expectations you have for your brain.

Dendrites and Dendritic Spines, 2 of 2

The term dendrite likely comes from a Greek word meaning “tree.” Dendrites are the branches projections from a neuron that are able to conduct the electrochemical stimulation from other neurons to the cell body of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Meaning that the dendrites pull information into the cell so learning can take place. If a brain is enriched, estimates are that each neuron may have thousands of dendrites. Recently, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that dendrites do more than passively relay information—they actively process information, according to Spencer Smith, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine. The dendritic spikes apparently “increase the selectivity of neuronal responses to the orientation of a visual stimulus (orientation tuning). Dendritic spines may have something to do with your ability to process visual information.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/evidence-that-dendrites-actively-process-information-in-the-brain?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4b4b20dec5-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-4b4b20dec5-281999441