Posts Tagged ‘brain’
February 21, 2012 | 
Author The muscles in the body respond to exercise by making new mitochondria, the very small structures inside cells that provide the body with energy. Wondering if brain cells could do the same thing, J.Mark Davis, a physiologist at the University of South Carolina and his colleagues studied the effects of exercise on the brains of mice. They found that “a master regulator” of mitochondria production increased in the brain after half an hour a day on a treadmill. There appeared to be more mitochondrial DNA, providing “gold standard” evidence of more mitochondria. “It appears that the brain adapts and changes by bringing more of these powerhouses online” says Davis.
These findings may help researchers understand how exercise can ward off disease and age-related decline in brain capacity. The increased energy supply to the brain may help in dementia prevention and mood regulation. “The evidence is accumulating rapidly that exercise keeps the brain younger,” Davis says……Scientific American Mind Stephani Sutherland March/April 2012
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published results of a study aimed at older adults and their consumption of vitamins B6 and B12. The study revealed that depression was more likely to be found in adults with the lowest intake of the B vitamins. However, for each additional 10 mg of vitamin B6 or Vitamin B12 the adults consumed, the risk of developing depression in a given year decreased by two percent.
In a separate study, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) women with low levels of folate (vitamin B9) were more likely to be depressed. In the same study, men with low levels of folate did not show an increased likelihood of depression. This same USDA study found that low levels of folate were linked to symptoms of dementia and cognitive decline in men and women.
Vegetables, meat, nuts and whole grain products are good sources for Vitamin B6. Meat, poultry, fish and dairy products contain Vitamin B12. For Folate intake try leafy green vegetables and legumes….Duke Medicine Health News Volume 11G
Nutrition Action Health Letter recently reported that Minute Maid Help Nourish Your Brain 100% Fruit Juice Blend is not quite as brain enriching as it is touted to be. There is a tiny amount of DHA (One of the two main omega-3 fats in fish oil) in the juice. Yet consumers are told that “DHA is a key building block in the brain” and “Vitamin C is highly concentrated in brain nerve endings.” The upshot of this… parents may believe the juice is important for the brain development of their children, and adults may drink it to strengthen their memories. In either case, it likely will not make a difference.
A group of older adults was recently studied to see if if their risk of progressing into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was lowered by exercising on a cybercycle versus a traditional stationary bike. MCI, which can precede Alzheimer’s is a state of cognitive decline more serious than normal aging, but not so advanced that it impedes daily activities. A cybercycle is a stationary bike equipped with a virtual-reality screen. This screen enables the rider to “navigate” through situations, and “interact” with other bikers. The researchers found that the riders who rode the cybercyles lowered their risk of progressing into MCI by 23% compared to the traditional stationary riders. The virtual screens enabled participants to exercise their brains and bodies, with the bonus of boosting their cognition scores….. Time Magazine January, 30, 2012
We have an inner biological pacemaker, known as the circadian clock. Circadian comes from the Latin circa (“about”) and diem (“a day”). This timekeeper, based on the daily cycles of light and dark influence many of our physiological rhythms and activities. SCN or suprachiasmatic nucleus is a tiny clock buried deep in the brain which paces body temperature, blood pressure heart rate, hormone levels, and sleep-waking times. It tells your brain’s pineal gland when to release melatonin to promote sleep, and when it should stop to help you awaken. As we talked about recently, SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which sprouts up in the winter for some people due to lower light levels is associated with our own personal circadian clock.
Distinguishing ourselves as “morning” or “night” people is something most of us do. Another name for a morning person is a lark. Larks typically wake up easily in the morning, feeling refreshed. Owls on the other hand struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and may prefer staying up late into the night. We all know who we are! Circadian research is a growing area of research, not only for charting why we are wired differently in terms of our sleep patterns, but also how time of day can affect chemotherapy, surgery and other treatments…..The Scientific American Day in the Life of your Brain by Judith Horstman
A study recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that stressful life events can lead to shrinkage of the brain due to reductions in gray matter in regions connected to physiological and emotional functions. The study used brain imaging on 103 people who had previously experience traumatic or stressful life events such as divorce, death of a loved one, or natural disasters and found that these individuals had lower than average amounts of gray matter in parts of the medial prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for self control, emotion regulation, blood pressure, and glucose levels. Study researcher Emily Ansell, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University found that “the accumulation of stressful life events may make it more challenging for these individuals to deal with future stress, particularly if the next demanding event requires effortful control, emotion regulation, or integrated social processing to overcome it,” and warned that changes in gray matter in the brain could contribute to future psychiatric problems.
Looking for relief after a long workday and commute? Spending some time with your pet is good for them and your brain!
Approximately 100 million households in the U.S. have pets. Research has shown that blood pressure and other stress indicators drop and that your brain sends out a burst of feel-good chemicals when you pet Lassie. Interestingly, petting others’ animals do not emit the same positive reactions. University of Missouri researchers have been studying human responses to a robot dog. They are curious to see if humans can respond positively to a mechanical pet! From Day In The Life Of Your Brain, The Scientific American, by Judith Horstman
Being deprived of sleep-even for only one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shut downs, described as “brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness”, according to David Dinges, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Dinges’ conducted a study involving brain imaging on 24 adults who performed simple tasks involving visual attention when the participants were well rested, and when they had missed a night’s sleep. Researchers measured blood flow to the brain through the use of a functional MRI, and showed significant, momentary lapses in several areas of the brain.
These lapses seem to suggest that sleep loss renders the brain incapable of fully fending off the drive to sleep, which is significant because, as Dinges says, “These people are not lying in bed. They are sitting up doing a task they learned and they are working very hard at doing their best.”
These lapses can be very dangerous and a warning to anyone considering functioning with little to no sleep.
Scientists have discovered that human brains make their own marijuana, which may lead to new marijuana-like drugs for pain management as well as appetite stimulation.
“Ideally, this development will lead to drugs that bind to and activate the THC receptor, but are devoid of the side effects that limit the usefulness of marijuana,” said Lakshmi A. Devi of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and one of the senior researchers involved in the study.
By extracting small proteins, called peptides, from the brains of mice, scientists determined their amino acid sequence. By comparing these proteins to other peptides, several not only bound to the brain’s THC receptors, but activated them as well. This finding shows that our brains make proteins that act directly on the marijuana receptors in our head. Dr. Gerald Weissmann adds, “The next step is for scientists to come up with new medicines that eliminate the nasty side of pot-a better joint, so to speak.”
Posted in headachedrugs | 
Tags: brain, drug side effects, pain management, THC receptors | 
Comments Closed
