MYGADGETLIFE!!!

Neurology seems to pop up every now and again to mention if there is a break though in discovery or if something is good or in this case bad for us. If you believe in the analogy that the brains whole structure is based on a highly complex computer that needs fine adjustments to reach optimum performance. In this case people should actually surround them selves with positive feeling and reinforce with a healthy lifestyle.

Yale scientist have discovered that major depression or chronic stress can cause the loss of brain volume, which is a form of cognitive impairment. A single genetic switch that triggers loss of brain connections in humans and animal models. The switch known as a transcription factor represses the expression of several genes that are necessary for the formation of synaptic connections between brain cells, which in turn could contribute to loss of brain mass in the prefrontal cortex. The area responsible for executive function, which relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation.

The research team analyzed tissue of depressed and non-depressed patients donated from a brain bank and looked for different patterns of gene activation. The brains of patients who had been depressed exhibited lower levels of expression in genes that are required for the function and structure of brain synapses. Lead author and postdoctoral researcher H.J. Kang discovered that at least five of these genes could be regulated by a single transcription factor called GATA1. When the transcription factor was activated, rodents exhibited depressive-like symptoms, suggesting GATA1 plays a role not only in the loss of connections between neurons but also in symptoms of depression. Maybe one day genetic variations in GATA1 may one day help identify people at high risk for major depression or sensitivity to stress.

Your brain is bound to shrink as you age — it’s unavoidable. But there are certain lifestyle factors that hasten the process, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, Davis.

The four factors that were associated with faster declines in brain volume were:

High blood pressure
Diabetes
Cigarette smoking
Being overweight or obese

The researchers found that all four risk factors were associated with faster declines in brain size: people with high blood pressure in midlife more quickly developed a condition called white matter change, in which areas of blood vessels in the brain are damaged, compared with those who had normal blood pressure. People with diabetes had faster shrinkage in a brain region called the hippocampus, which is involved with memory. Smokers had more rapid overall brain shrinkage than nonsmokers, and also showed faster white matter changes. On cognitive tests, these participants showed declines in executive function, or the ability to make decisions, plan, organize, and pay attention to and remember details. People who were overweight or obese in middle age, for example, were more likely to be among the top quartile of those with the fastest rates of decrease in brain volume and the most rapid declines in executive function.

Neurogenesis is a way to generate new neurons and it is possible to generate neurons throughout out your entire adult life.

These new cells can take over the function of damaged cells and provide protection against dementia and Alzheimer’s. They will help you learn faster and retain more of what you learn. You can boost or inhibit this process by various habits and techniques.

Exercise – In addition to the other well known and documented benefits of exercise, we can now add neurogenesis! The best thing you can do to grow and improve your brain is aerobic exercise.

Eat Blueberries – The ingredient that seems to trigger neurogenesis is anthocyanin. It can also be found in blackberries, black currant, bilberries, and black raspberries. Eat dark berries for your brain! One cup per day of blueberries is enough for the neurogenic effect.
Not only does learning improve as a result of neurogenesis, scientist now believe that learning itself stimulates neurogenesis.
Avoid Caffeine – I know, I know! I love caffeine too, but its long term impact on your brain is bad. Avoid Stress – Stress inhibits neurogenesis so do whatever it takes to reduce it. Restrict Your Calories – Calorie restriction is a universally agreed upon method for life-extension. Well, it turns out it is an effective brain extender as well. Take Ibuprofen – There is evidence that Ibuprofen reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s and can stimulate neurogenesis. Take small amounts because too much is not good for you.

To adopt a healthy and positive lifestyle is the best way forward to reduce brain shrinkage or brain atrophy. Excessive alcohol and vitamin deficiency certainly are factors which are important for maintaining higher brain function. Also emotion is a factor and on some level modern living may be a harmful factor in brain development. One of the more interesting contributers of Neurogenesis is sex
professor Elizabeth Gould, also found that when male rats were allowed to mate with female rats multiple times over the course of the experiment ("chronic" sexual experience) as opposed to just once ("acute" sexual experience), the level of stress-response chemicals went down, but neurogenesis continued. In other words, repeated sexual experience in rats led to beneficial neurogenesis without the harmful chemical stress response. This might scale up in humans but hopefully if stress or modern life is getting you down, then maybe its time to try one some methods for neurogenesis to balance those brain cells.

This subject is close to me it involves a family member and the fact is that because its personnel I'll try to keep the drama to a minimum. Looking into the horrible Parkinson's disease, I found it to be a degenerative disease. it attacks the central nervous system. The central nervous system is basically the wiring that controls and senses the arms and legs of a human. The reason are unknown but it starts with the death if the subtantia nigra, located in the mid brain. This section of the brain plays an important part in the reward addiction and movement.
In wiring the brain to do most things it gives itself a reward. In the case study of students. Participants with the higher levels of Dopamine were able to perform much better on learning tasks.

Parkinson's syndrome is a idiopathic having no known cause, though in most cases it would seem to be genetic in origin. Many risk and protective factor have been investigated, the clearest evidence is for a certain pesticides. And a reduce risk for people who smoke tobacco.

The pathology of the disease is characterized by the accumulation of soluble protein with unknown function into inclusions called lewy bodies in neurons, and form insufficient formation of dopamine. Lewy Bodies are the abnormal aggregates of protein that develop inside nerve cells in Parkinson's disease. It would suggest that the anatomical distribution of Lewy bodies is often related to the degree of the clinical symptoms for each individual.

Treatments are effective at managing early motor symptoms of the disease, mainly the use of Levodpa. Levodpa is a dopamine agonists which basically a signaling agent to produce more dopamine, which is suppose to return dopamine levels to normal for movement. Dopamine can not be administered to the blood stream like any other drug, as the blood brain barrier prevents this type of transference.
typical side effects for Levodba hypotension if dosage is too high. irregular heat beat though it is uncommon.
Nausea which can be reduced by taking with food, though protein interferes with drug absorption. Hair-loss disorientation and confusion, extreme emotional states, particularly anxiety. Vivid dreams and insomnia, auditory and visional hallucinations, it may effect working memory while impairing other complex functions. the person will have a strong desire to sleep or is prone to narcolepsy.

There has been research of stem cells as a cure for reversing the effect of Parkinson's disease. Personally I might thinking it might be a hoax as the mid brain are is very hard to get to. One company is attempting to grow a culture of brain cells from someone with this disease in order of finding chemicals to reduce the symptoms. There have been chinese cures that said to reduce and maybe even halt the progress of the disease. While some people use cannabis as a way to reduced the symptoms of shaking hands and legs that come with the disease.
As I see it the certain cells in the mid brain starts to die and cause the slow movement or even shaking symptoms in Parkinson's. I like to think if these cells are choking and dying out, then why not apply certain vitamins or supplements to reduce this type of disease. I have been watching someone I care for go from a strong independent person into a weak child like personality. It gets harder as I really didn't know until recently the mechanics that causes this disease. Of course I am skeptic about the new age cures like herbal medicines and using cannabis as a treatment. I'll have to do more research into cures but from now on I'll try to see from the other side of the person with Parkinson's.