Eat broccoli sprouts to protect your brain from stroke

February 4, 2023February 4, 2023 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Cerebellum, Cerebrum, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Lower brain, Stress Brain neurons, Control group, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease

Starting this blog’s ninth year with a 2022 rodent study of sulforaphane neuroprotection: “An example of endogenous neuroprotection is ischemia-resistance of the hippocampal regions comprising the CA2, CA3, CA4 and dentate gyrus subfields (here abbreviated to CA2-4,DG) which can be contrasted with the ischemia-vulnerable CA1 region, which is noted in rodents as well as humans. … Continue reading Eat broccoli sprouts to protect your brain from stroke

A better method of measuring neurogenesis

June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 gettingwell4 5+ stars Premium, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory Brain neurons, Control group, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease

One of the references cited in Linking adult neurogenesis to Alzheimer’s disease was https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0375-9 “Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is abundant in neurologically healthy subjects and drops sharply in patients with Alzheimer’s disease” (not freely available). This 2019 Spanish human study used improved techniques to find: “Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), confers an unparalleled degree of plasticity to … Continue reading A better method of measuring neurogenesis

Linking adult neurogenesis to Alzheimer’s disease

June 23, 2019May 6, 2021 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Brain development, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory, Stress Brain neurons, Control group, DNA methylation, Embryo development, Genetic factors, Neurodegenerative disease, Prefrontal cortex

This 2019 Spanish human study compared DNA methylation, chromatin and histone modifications in the hippocampus of deceased Alzheimer’s disease patients with controls: “A significant percentage of the differentially methylated genes were related to neural development and neurogenesis. It was astounding that other biological, cellular, and molecular processes generally associated with neurodegeneration such as apoptosis, autophagy, … Continue reading Linking adult neurogenesis to Alzheimer’s disease

Our brains are shaped by our early environments

March 3, 2019August 16, 2021 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Amygdala, Brain development, Cerebellum, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Lower brain, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Primal Therapy, Serotonin, Stress Antidepressants, Brain neurons, Control group, Corpus callosum, DNA methylation, Dr. Arthur Janov, Embryo development, Genetic factors, Infants, Language development, Neural plasticity, Prefrontal cortex

This 2019 McGill paper reviewed human and animal studies on brain-shaping influences from the fetal period through childhood: “In neonates, regions of the methylome that are highly variable across individuals are explained by the genotype alone in 25 percent of cases. The best explanation for 75 percent of variably methylated regions is the interaction of … Continue reading Our brains are shaped by our early environments

The role of recall neurons in traumatic memories

August 21, 2018February 7, 2020 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Amygdala, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Immune system, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Primal Therapy, Stress Brain neurons, Control group, Neural plasticity, Prefrontal cortex, Psychotropic medication, Unconscious feelings, Unconscious memories

This 2018 Swiss rodent study found: “Our data show that: A subset of memory recall–induced neurons in the DG [dentate gyrus] becomes reactivated after memory attenuation, The degree of fear reduction positively correlates with this reactivation, and The continued activity of memory recall–induced neurons is critical for remote fear memory attenuation. Although other brain areas … Continue reading The role of recall neurons in traumatic memories

The role of DNMT3a in fear memories

March 29, 2018March 31, 2020 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory, Stress Brain neurons, Control group, DNA methylation, Prefrontal cortex, Unconscious feelings, Unconscious memories

This 2018 Chinese rodent study found: “Elevated Dnmt3a [a DNA methyltransferase] level in the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) of hippocampus was associated with the absence of fear renewal in an altered context after extinction training. Overexpression and knockdown of Dnmt3a in the dDG regulated the occurrence of fear renewal in a bi-directional manner. We found … Continue reading The role of DNMT3a in fear memories

Sleep and adult brain neurogenesis

March 4, 2018August 12, 2019 gettingwell4 < 0 Detracted from science, Amygdala, Anterior cingulate cortex, Brain development, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Memory, Stress Brain neurons, DNA methylation, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease, Prefrontal cortex

This 2018 Japan/Detroit review subject was the impact of sleep and epigenetic modifications on adult dentate gyrus neurogenesis: “We discuss the functions of adult‐born DG neurons, describe the epigenetic regulation of adult DG neurogenesis, identify overlaps in how sleep and epigenetic modifications impact adult DG neurogenesis and memory consolidation.. Whereas the rate of DG neurogenesis … Continue reading Sleep and adult brain neurogenesis

An emotional center of our brains

January 23, 2018October 16, 2019 gettingwell4 5+ stars Premium, Brain development, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory, Stress DNA methylation, Genetic factors, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease

This 2018 McGill/UC San Diego rodent study subject was the dentate gyrus area of the hippocampus: “Early life experience influences stress reactivity and mental health through effects on cognitive-emotional functions that are, in part, linked to gene expression in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. The hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) is a major site for experience-dependent … Continue reading An emotional center of our brains

The mystery of humans’ evolved capability for adults to grow new brain cells

February 15, 2016January 30, 2019 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Brain development, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory Brain neurons, Genetic factors, Neural plasticity

This 2016 German review discussed the evolution of human adult neurogenesis: “Mammalian adult hippocampal neurogenesis is a trait shaped by evolutionary forces that have contributed to the advantages in natural selection that are associated with the mammalian dentate gyrus. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mammals originates from an ectopic precursor cell population that resides in a … Continue reading The mystery of humans’ evolved capability for adults to grow new brain cells

Familiar stress opens up an epigenetic window of neural plasticity

November 21, 2015May 22, 2019 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Cortisol, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Neurochemicals, Stress Antidepressants, Brain neurons, Neural plasticity, Psychotropic medication

This 2015 Italian rodent study found: “There is a window of plasticity that allows familiar and novel experiences to alter anxiety– and depressive-like behaviors, reflected also in electrophysiological changes in the dentate gyrus (DG). A consistent biomarker of mood-related behaviors in DG is reduced type 2 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu2), which regulates the release of glutamate. … Continue reading Familiar stress opens up an epigenetic window of neural plasticity

A molecular study of the epigenetic regulation of memory

October 28, 2015August 28, 2018 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory, Stress Brain neurons, Neural plasticity

This 2015 Norwegian rodent study provided: “New insights into the molecular underpinnings of synaptic plasticity. We report the first global transcriptome [all RNA found in specific cells] analysis of in vivo synaptic plasticity, using the well-established model of LTP [long-term potentiation, an increase in synaptic strength that underlies memory] in the rat dentate gyrus [a … Continue reading A molecular study of the epigenetic regulation of memory

Problematic research on the hippocampus part of the limbic system

February 4, 2015May 26, 2018 gettingwell4 0-1 star Wasted resources, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory

This 2014 UK human study of the CA3 region of the hippocampus found: “Individual differences in subjective mnemonic experience can be accurately predicted from measurable differences in the anatomy and neural coding of hippocampal region CA3.” I emailed the authors as follows: “I read the “CA3 size predicts the precision of memory recall” study, and … Continue reading Problematic research on the hippocampus part of the limbic system

Early emotional experiences change our brains: Childhood maltreatment is associated with reduced volume in the hippocampus

February 4, 2015May 25, 2019 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Brain development, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Stress Infants, Neural plasticity

This 2011 human study by the grandfather of hippocampus stress studies, Martin Teicher, quantified childhood maltreatment using the Adverse Childhood Experiences study and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire scores: “The strongest associations between maltreatment and volume were observed in the left CA2-CA3 and CA4-DG [dentate gyrus] subfields, and were not mediated by histories of major depression or … Continue reading Early emotional experiences change our brains: Childhood maltreatment is associated with reduced volume in the hippocampus