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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JohnB on August 6, 2000, at 17:16:57
Note: Although this article does not mention depression, other articles on this topic have, (see TIme magazine, Aug 7, 2000. p.70). I just found this kind of fascinating:
Time takes its toll on the human body and, even more insidiously, it takes its toll on the mind. Brain cells die from old age, injury and disease, but they are never replaced--or so people had long believed. A group of American and Swedish researchers have discovered that adult humans continue to grow new brain cells even in their sixties and seventies. The finding may reveal ways to mend a brain ravaged by Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases.
Earlier studies had already hinted that the brain's development does not halt in infancy. About 30 years ago, scientists learned that neural cells divide and mature in the hippocampus (one of the brain's key memory centers) of adult rats. In the 1980s, Fernando Nottebohm of Rockefeller University detected cell growth in the brains of mature song birds. Just this spring, Bruce McEwen, also of Rockefeller, and Elizabeth Gould of Princeton University discovered that adult marmoset monkeys also can produce new brain cells. At about the same time, William Shankle, a neurologist at the University of California at Irvine, reported cell growth in the brains of children under age six--a strong indicator that humans shared the regenerative capabilities of the other animals.
Now there is no doubt about it. Fred Gage and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, along with Peter Eriksson and others at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, studied five throat or larynx cancer patients between the ages of 55 and 70. As described in the November issue of Nature Medicine, the researchers injected a chemical marker called bromodeoxyuridine, or BrdU, into each patient three weeks to two years prior to death. BrdU is a protein that attaches to the DNA of dividing cells; it is given to cancer patients to track the progression of a malignant tumor, in which the cells replicate rapidly. BrdU can also track the normal reproduction of cells in other parts of the body, however.
After the patients died, Eriksson had sections of their brains removed and then examined them for signs of the BrdU marker. He and his collaborators found that primitive cells in the elderly patients' brains had divided and created new neural cells, right up to the time of death. Each patient had produced between 500 to 1,000 new brain cells a day.
When researchers applied a chemical stain that sticks only to mature cells, they saw that most of the new cells failed to develop into neurons capable of forming connections with other brain cells. But the newly divided cells did mature in one part of the brain--the hippocampus. This disparity may exist because other areas of the brain do not need to put these new cells to work as much as the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in learning and memory.
The hippocampus, which occupies one to two percent of the cortex, is one of the key areas where cell loss occurs in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients. Researchers are struggling to understand why these degenerative neuronal diseases happen even as new cells are replacing old ones. The answer to this question could lead to techniques for repairing and regenerating the injured brain. But first scientists need to find ways of making new brain cells appear at the right time in the right places.
One promising way of getting that to happen focuses on manipulating human stem cells--generalized cells that can differentiate into many other kinds of cells. Recently, scientists have made headlines by isolating embryonic stem cells, which are so flexible that they can develop into any type of cell in the body; therapeutic use of such cells lies far in the future, however. Two related studies, both of which appeared in the November issue of Nature Biotechnology, report the isolation of a more specific variety, neuronal stem cells. These cells are already predisposed to become neurons, and so could theoretically be used to mend damaged nerves or patch a diseased part of the brain. The current work indicates that neuronal stem cells can be grown in a petri dish and then successfully incorporated into living rat brains.
Gage, the Salk Institute neurobiologist who studied the cancer patients, has shown a much less invasive way to promote brain cell growth. He took a group of slow-learning mice, a strain known to learn more slowly than other mice, and exposed them to a highly stimulating environment: toys, exercise apparatus, and intensive social interaction with other mice. After as little as five weeks in the enriched setting, the slow-learning mice moved through a maze 15 percent faster than mice from the same litter raised in less stimulating environments.
Autopsies indicated that the stimulated mice had created twice as many new neurons in the hippocampus as the mice in the control group. That finding suggests that even specially tailored mental exercises might help Alzheimer's or Parkinson's patients stimulate brain cell growth at faster rates than was observed in the cancer patients. Whether the patient's brain would be able to utilize the new cells is still unclear. "It's premature to say that the new cells are being used for learning and memory," says Daniel Peterson of the Salk Institute, Gates's co-author. "But given their location in the brain, it seems reasonable to suggest that they do."
Posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 8:31:40
In reply to Interesting Study, posted by JohnB on August 6, 2000, at 17:16:57
> After as little as five weeks in the enriched setting, the slow-learning mice moved through a maze 15 percent faster than mice from the same litter raised in less stimulating environments.
>
> Autopsies indicated that the stimulated mice had created twice as many new neurons in the hippocampus as the mice in the control group. That finding suggests that even specially >tailored mental exercises might helpAny more posts on research along these lines would be great to see as the hippocampus does seem to be greatly stressed and negatively impacted from stress and depression. Time to find a rich, stimulating environment that's not stressful ... : )
Sante!
dj
Posted by Cam W. on August 7, 2000, at 9:55:33
In reply to Re: Interesting Study - Tis and hopeful!!, posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 8:31:40
dj - It seems that every major science journal has jumped on the stem cell bandwagon. Scientific American Presents - The Quest to Beat Aging has a couple of articles. "Counting the Lives of a Cell" (p.50) and "Mother Nature's Menders" (p.56) are a couple of easy-to-read articles. I believe this issue is still on the shelf for about another week.
Also, NIH has an article on-line called "Stem Cells: A Primer" at:
www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm
Sorry, I don't know how to make those underline thingys (technical computer terminology).
Hope this helps - Cam
Posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 10:29:04
In reply to Re: Interesting Study - Tis and hopeful!! » dj, posted by Cam W. on August 7, 2000, at 9:55:33
> http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm
>
> Sorry, I don't know how to make those underline thingys (technical computer terminology).
>
> Hope this helps - CamCam,
Thanks very much!! You are always helpful, kind and thoughtful. For the underline effect you just have to put http:// at the front of the tag and it will provide the underline as in http://yaddayadda.etc . A simple tech. concept for a nice change. More of these and I might have finished the IT program which took too much of my time and dime last year and contributed excessively to my stress and distress level eventualy leading to the depression which led me here. So at least one good thing came out of it. :)
Read the following in the local paper today, and looked it on AP. As I don't know how long it will be available on-line, I figure it's better to post it here, just in case and it saves people having to jump to another website, too. So,along the same vein as JohnB's thoughtful posting:
Scientists Urge Mental Exercise
By Lauran Neergaard
AP Medical Writer
Tuesday, July 25, 2000; 1:39 a.m. EDTWASHINGTON –– The brain is like a muscle: Use it or lose it.
That's the growing conclusion of research that shows fogged memory and slowed wit are not inevitable consequences of getting old, and there are steps people can take to protect their brains.
Mental exercise seems crucial. Benefits start when parents read to tots and depend heavily on education, but scientists say it's never too late to start jogging the gray matter.
People have to get physical, too. Bad memory is linked to heart disease, diabetes and a high-fat diet, all risks people can counter by living healthier lives.
In fact, provocative new research suggests these brain-protective steps, mental and physical, may be strong enough even to help influence who gets Alzheimer's disease.
"There are some things that, if you know you have a family history (of Alzheimer's) and you're just 20 to 30 years old, you can start doing to increase your protective factors," said Dr. Amir Soas of Case Western Reserve University Medical School in Cleveland.
It's also good advice for the average baby boomer hoping to stay sharp, or the mom priming her child for a lifelong healthy brain.
Most important: "Read, read, read," Soas said. Do crossword puzzles. Pull out the chessboard or Scrabble. Learn a foreign language or a new hobby. "Anything that stimulates the brain to think," he said.
And cut back on TV, Soas insists. "When you watch television, your brain goes into neutral," he said. So much so that Case Western plans to study whether people who contract Alzheimer's watched more TV throughout life than healthy seniors.
The stereotype of the forgetful grandma has its roots in now-outdated dogma. Just a few years ago, scientists believed the brain was wired forever before age 5, and that over the ensuing decades a person irrevocably lost neurons and crucial brain circuitry until eventually mental decline became noticeable.
Not quite. Scientists now know the brain continually rewires and adapts itself, even in old age; large brain-cell growth continues into the teen years; and even the elderly can grow at least some new neurons.
So cognitive decline doesn't have to be inevitable. Indeed, mental tests given for 10 years to almost 6,000 older people found 70 percent maintained brain power as they aged, lead researcher Mary Haan of the University of Michigan told an international Alzheimer's meeting this month.
What keeps brains healthy? Clues come from Alzheimer's research.
Case Western scientists studied 550 people and found those less mentally and physically active in middle age were three times more likely to get Alzheimer's as they grayed. Particularly protective: increasing intellectual activity during adulthood.
Numerous studies show people with less education have higher risks of Alzheimer's than the better-educated. Haan found less than a ninth-grade education a key threshold; other studies suggest a difference even between holders of bachelor's and master's degrees.
It's not just formal education. Reading habits between ages 6 and 18 appear crucial predictors of cognitive function decades later, said Dr. David Bennett of Chicago's Rush University. The theory: Challenge the brain early to build up more "cognitive reserve" to counter brain-damaging disease later. Bennett is preparing to test that by counting neurons in autopsied brains.
And remember that brain-muscle analogy? Brain scans show mentally "exercising," which London cabbies do while navigating without a map or pianists do when practicing, makes regions used for those intellectual challenges grow, while less-used areas shrink.
But physical health is important, too. A healthy brain needs lots of oxygen pumped through healthy arteries. Haan studied people who have a gene called ApoE4, which significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer's. Brain function of gene carriers declined four times faster with age if they also had hardened arteries or diabetes. High-fat diets increased the risk seven times, Case Western researchers found.
That means exercising and eating right – the very things that prevent heart disease and diabetes – helps the brain, too. And Haan said it spotlights the next research frontier: Testing whether cholesterol and blood pressure treatments might prevent dementia. Stay tuned.
–––
EDITOR'S NOTE – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press.
On the Net: American Geriatrics Society: http://www.americangeriatrics.org/education/forum/memoloss.shtml
Posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 10:37:28
In reply to Re: Thanks, Cam and JB and similar article!!, posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 10:29:04
> That means exercising and eating right – the very things that prevent heart disease and diabetes – helps the brain, too. And Haan said it spotlights the next research frontier: Testing whether cholesterol and blood pressure treatments >might prevent dementia. Stay tuned.
This last paragraph, though referring to dementia is I believe equally applicable to depression which also has strong and scary links to heart disease amongst other things.
Having noted that, I'm off for a walkabout followed by a swim and then some more mental stimulation, haviing just had a healthy bowl of oatmeal, plum and a bit of peanut butter for flavour and my cholosteral ; ). These are the sort of things I find I too often neglect, when feeling dis-stressed, only to my detriment.
Sante!
dj
Posted by jules on August 7, 2000, at 11:57:50
In reply to Re: Thanks, Cam and JB and similar article! - P.S., posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 10:37:28
Great thread guys!
I used to work for a guy that did brain research, as well as writing and giving presentations) and boy, did I learn terrific things. Just using your non-dominant hand to do things can make new pathways. Also, plain ole BREATHING DEEPLY REGULARLY may help stave off alzheimers.
Julie
Posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 18:24:26
In reply to Re: Thanks, Cam and JB and similar article! - P.S., posted by jules on August 7, 2000, at 11:57:50
> Just using your non-dominant hand to do things can make new pathways. Also, plain ole BREATHING >DEEPLY REGULARLY may help stave off alzheimers.
Those little things we sometimes don't pay enough attention to can make all the difference sometimes. Deep breathing, so simple in concept and sometimes so difficult in practice particularly when feeling stressed and tight!!
I find yoga classes, help remind me of this when I notice my tension level go down when I relax that deeply. Last year when particularly tight and tense it tooks some pretty intense massage, acupuncture and acupressure sessions to get me to loosen up enough to breath deeply instead of the superficial breathing I was doing which only distressed my body and mind more...
Remember any other tips, Julie?
Sante!
dj
Posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 18:31:53
In reply to Re: Breathing, yes! - Julie!!, posted by dj on August 7, 2000, at 18:24:26
As I learned once more this week...how true the following is:
Love & Survival : 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health by Dean Ornish
Ornish, the bestselling author known for using diet, exercise, and stress management to treat heart disease (Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease), now insists that the most powerful influences on health are love and intimacy.
The founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute near San Francisco says he knows of no other factor--``not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery--that has such a major impact on our quality of life, incidence of illness, and premature death from all causes.''
After backing up this claim with an impressive review of the literature supporting the healing role of social support and intimacy and the health-damaging consequences of loneliness and isolation, Ornish looks inward and describes his own personal journey to greater openness. He follows these self-revelations with a discussion of intimacy-enhancing strategies.
In what is the book's least cohesive chapter, he presents a standard exercise in communication skills and briefly discusses the value of human touch, the meaning of commitment, the practice of meditation, and the role of spiritual practices and psychotherapy in developing the sense of self that is a prerequisite to achieving intimacy.
Ornish then inserts a lengthy illustrative anecdote: the case of a patient whose heart disease begins to reverse after he accepts Ornish's urging to open his heart and give up his anger.
The second and more compelling half of the book consists of Ornish's conversations on the role of love and intimacy in health and disease with a broad spectrum of thoughtful men and women with different perspectives: a yogi, an intuitive healer, a theologian, a sociologist, a psychologist, and many scientists and physicians.
A curious work, loosely structured, sometimes to the point and sometimes rambling, blending scientific findings and personal convictions.
This is the end of the thread.
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