What are all the ways to grow grey matter in the human brain?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the various methods and factors that may contribute to the growth of grey matter in the human brain. Participants explore topics related to neurogenesis, dietary influences, and the implications of research findings, with a focus on both theoretical and empirical aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention the potential impact of dietary patterns on hippocampal volume, citing a study that associates a "prudent" dietary pattern with increased left hippocampal volume.
  • Others discuss the concept of neurogenesis in adults, noting that while new neurons are generated during development, the rate decreases significantly after birth, and the extent of adult neurogenesis in humans remains unclear.
  • A participant references studies indicating that adult-born neurons in the human olfactory bulb are likely few in number, suggesting limitations to adult neurogenesis.
  • There is mention of the need for further studies to understand neurogenesis in adulthood and its implications for neurological disorders.
  • One participant introduces research on human brain organoids implanted in mice, raising questions about the neurogenesis potential in these organoids.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty regarding the extent and significance of neurogenesis in adult humans, with multiple competing views on dietary influences and the implications of various studies. The discussion remains unresolved with no consensus reached.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on specific definitions of neurogenesis and the varying interpretations of dietary impacts on brain structure. Some claims are based on studies that may not directly apply to human subjects.

timeuser84
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Hi, forgot to say a thanks for all the info provided in my previous thread to everyone who posted. So what is the answer or answers to this threads question or what works?
 
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timeuser84 said:
Hi, forgot to say a thanks for all the info provided in my previous thread to everyone who posted. So what is the answer or answers to this threads question or what works?
What previous thread?
 
Hi, the one on mbti functions. sorry, my mistake.
 
timeuser84 said:
Hi, the one on mbti functions. sorry, my mistake.
When you reference a previous thread, it is good form to include a LINK to the thread. Also, thanking people from one thread in a different thread is not nearly as good an idea as thanking them in the thread for which you are thanking them. Not everyone reads all threads.

EDIT: by the way, posting a link on this forum is a bit annoying in that you have to post the link then "insert" the actual link, using the "linked donuts" link symbol.
 
timeuser84 said:
Hi, forgot to say a thanks for all the info provided in my previous thread to everyone who posted. So what is the answer or answers to this threads question or what works?
Funny I was reading about this study while you were posting.

Results
Every one standard deviation increase in healthy “prudent” dietary pattern was associated with a 45.7 mm3 (standard error 22.9 mm3) larger left hippocampal volume, while higher consumption of an unhealthy “Western” dietary pattern was (independently) associated with a 52.6 mm3 (SE 26.6 mm3) smaller left hippocampal volume. These relationships were independent of covariates including age, gender, education, labour-force status, depressive symptoms and medication, physical activity, smoking, hypertension and diabetes. While hippocampal volume declined over time, there was no evidence that dietary patterns influenced this decline. No relationships were observed between dietary patterns and right hippocampal volume.

https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0461-x
 
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phinds said:
EDIT: by the way, posting a link on this forum is a bit annoying in that you have to post the link then "insert" the actual link, using the "linked donuts" link symbol.
There's an easier way -- just go into the thread / post you want to link to, and click the little "share" icon to the right of the red NEW button at the top of the post. That gives you a pop-up box with the URL of that post, so just copy it and then paste it into the new thread. Like this for your post:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...matter-in-the-human-brain.994070/post-6396862

1600971885124.png
 
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New neurons are generated as one develops, but after one is born, the rate of generation of new neurons decreases. It is unclear whether there is significant neurogenesis in adult humans.

Adult Olfactory Bulb Neurogenesis
Pierre-Marie Lledo and Matt Valley
"... Instead, adult-born neurons in the human OB are likely to be locally generated and few in number, suggesting that there are significant limits to the magnitude of adult neurogenesis in the human OB. ..."

Adult neurogenesis in humans: Dogma overturned, again and again?
Laura C. Andreae
"... Further studies are clearly needed. What still seems likely is that if neurons are born in human adulthood, they may be relatively few and far between. Adult neurogenesis declines with age in most species examined (and fascinatingly, may be absent in whales and dolphins, also notable for longevity and good memories), so perhaps we should be focusing more on neurogenesis occurring in childhood/adolescence, trying to understand whether this period can be extended and whether juvenile newborn cells can help treat neurological disorders. ..."

The following study isn't about humans, but it describes human brain organoids implanted into mouse brains. I'm not sure whether neurogenesis continues in the implanted organoids
Miniature human brains grow for months when implanted in mice skulls
Sharon Begley
"... The report on Monday by scientists at the Salk Institute is the first publication describing the successful implant of human cerebral organoids into the brains of another species, with the host brain supplying the lentil-sized mini cerebrums with enough blood and nutrients to keep them alive and developing for months. ..."
 
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