Brain Health: Stem cells can re-juvenate brain function

Published on 2020-01-282020-10-23 by Rigi Care

Stem cells are constantly re-juvenating our body including the brain, but as we age, our pool of stem cells declines, leading to poor mental and physical performance. A new study demonstrates the positive effect of increasing the number of stem cells in the brain. We already know that a healthy lifestyle reduces inflammation and improves circulation and leads to better brain and body performance. What is new is that this study (full article here) demonstrates that increasing the number of stem cells leads to better mental performance - thus pointing to a future treatment for e.g. dementia.

Alcohol dependence results in brain-wide remodelling of functional architecture

Published on 2020-01-282020-10-23 by Rigi Care

New study demonstrate for the first time that alcohol addicted mice have their brain’s functional architecture remodeled. If confirmed in humans, this should lead to better monitoring and treatment of people with addiction. Maybe we finally will understand why some never get rid of their addiction while others do - their brain may simply not be able to rewire during the time they are clean or may even be permanently remodelled. “Research groups have been fighting for years about whether ‘their’ brain circuit is the key to addiction. Our results confirm these regions are important, but the fact that we see such a massive remodeling of the functional brain architecture was a real shock. It’s like studying the solar system and then discovering that there is an entire universe behind it.

Your baby is reading your mind

Published on 2020-01-282020-10-23 by Rigi Care

”Have you ever played with a baby and felt a sense of connection, even though they couldn’t yet talk to you? New research suggests that you might quite literally be “on the same wavelength,” experiencing similar brain activity in the same brain regions”. The discovery may explain how we learn and connect, and why some do not.