Brain Power Part I

So I’m a cognitive science major. I think brains are cool.  I would like to think that I use my brain a lot.  I found it particularly hilarious (and a little sad) in The Science of Health, by Florence Meredith (1942) when she says that the amount of brain work a person can do is dependent upon one unchangeable internal factor and many other external factors.  The unchangeable factor is that we have an “inherited number and quality of brain cells” and that there are “limits beyond which a person cannot go in mental achievement, but these limits are probably never reached.” Well Ms. Meredith, I think I and all of my Cog Sci/Neuroscience professors would have to disagree with you.  The brain, and number of nerve cells, are forever expanding and are also plastic throughout life, including adulthood. Although our heredity plays a role in our neural capacity (eg those born with Down’s Syndrome or cerebral palsy cannot overcome that barrier) and the number of neurons we are originally born with is is a set number, the human adult brain is surprisingly plastic, and humans can train themselves to do a virtually limitless variety of tasks.  

Firstly, according to Fred Ganes in his article "Neurogenesis in the Adult Brain" in the Journal of Neuroscience published way back in 2002, new research has pointed to the ability of adult brains to create new nerve cells, although the areas where this can happen is limited. This means that not every area in your brain has the ability to form new neurons and synaptic connections, but some notable areas that can are the dentate gyrus, in the hippocampus, which is used for creating and consolidating memories, and of course we all know about the magic abilities of stem cells.  

“Does your brain produce new cells: a skeptical view of adult neurogenesis” on The Guardian online blog says that recent neuroplasticity research has changed the way we think about the brain, but that maybe we need to be more "sceptical" (as it is said...er written...in Britain).  Although some studies point that neurogenesis can be stimulated by physical and mental exercise, everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and prove that we can significantly delay cognitive decline and repair damaged brains. Simple, easy, done! But really, not so much.  I think the take-home message here is that although we should still be skeptical as to the amount and ability our brain has to create new neurons, we should not be as negative as Meredith, because as my mommy puts it, I (as a representative for all human kind) can achieve whatever I set my mind to. And yes, I actually believe that. 

I could go into a long rant about IQ tests and their validity in predicting how intelligent and smart we all are, but more in the scope of this blog, and relating to the external factors Meredith mentions, I am going to talk about personal life health choices and how these can affect mental capacity and efficiency. 

Meredith states some facts; that “150 of the most learned men of the country (members of the National Academy of Science)” were “living proof that the most brilliant brains are usually found in the huskiest bodies.” Although husky bodies are nice, I think Meredith states it better a few sentences later when she mentions that it was found that graduate students with high IQs were in good health. Husky bodies don't necessarily mean one is in good health, and good health doesn't necessarily mean you are a member of the "genius class," but health does have an affect on your brain. As it does on every other part of your body. Big surprise.  

Exercise is extremely important in health, both for brain and body, and I am pleased that Meredith does not ignore this fact.  There are two ways we can think of exercise and the brain.  1. Physical Exercise and 2. Mental Exercise.

Physical exercise is good for the brain in that it gets our blood circulating, gives you mental rest (for example, working out in between study sessions) to let you process newly learned information.  The circulation that is a product of exercise is important to get blood, glucose, and other nutrients to your brain. I will say more about the nutrients needed for brain functioning later. 

According to some studies cited in “How Exercise could lead to a Better Brain” in the New York Times, 2012, the full effect of exercise on the brain in a molecular level is not yet understood, but exercise may help slow or reverse physical decay, and may even prompt neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons, but don’t worry, we’re not going to talk about that again). Also, research suggests that exercise prompts increases in something clled brain-derived neurotropic factor (B.D.N.F.) which strengthens cells and axons and the connections between neurons.  This is also what may help stimulate neurogenesis (but like I said, we wont talk about that again.) These studies have been conducted mainly in lab animals, namely mice and rats, and scientists are working to connect this research to the human brain. So far they have found that people have increased B.D.N.F. in their bloodstreams after workouts, but as to how or if this affects brain function, they are not so sure. 

Also in regards to learning, exercise can help with encoding information. Learning new information requires memory, which means that information needs to be moved from short-term to long-term memory (also known as consolidation). Dr. Roig at the Universityof Copenhagen published research that a single bout of exercise immediately after motor learning increased memory, even long term memory, in healthy young male subjects. Although these findings were just on motor learning, a study at UC Irvine in 2012, found that a short burst of moderate exercise enhances the consolidation of memories in both healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment. I could cite more studies like this all day, referring to exercise, short-term or long-term memory, motor learning, cognitive ability, etc... but whether you believe the scientific findings, or the fact that just taking a break post studying, or in between, will give you a little mental break and therefore a mental boost is hopefully enough.  

So I now need to go workout and give myself a little mental break so I can write the next post on this topic, since I never got the mental effort and food/nutrient part of this post. But look forward to that for next time!