Brain Regeneration Is Real And Not As Complicated As You'd Think

Aug 27, 2018 by apost team

You have probably heard that brain cells never return once they die. As you age, your mental health starts to decline naturally. Thankfully, you do not have to live with lowered brain health. There are ways that you can regenerate the brain and repair damage.

For decades, the medical establishment has believed that dead brain cells are gone forever. It turns out that the brain is like the rest of the body. It has a remarkable way of healing itself. By practicing a few simple steps, you can actually get your brain to regenerate.

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Cognitive neuroscience is one of the latest scientific fields. It was only started a century ago, so there are constant changes in how we understand the neural circuits in the mind. For most of the last century, scientists believed that the brain was not capable of regenerating. They believed that you only had a limited number of brain cells. Once those brain cells died off, you would never get them back.

Starting in the 1980s, scientists began to realize that this was not the case. Fernando Nottebohm began researching this topic at Rockefeller University. He discovered that new neurons could actually form in the brain of an adult vertebrae. The next step in understanding the brain did not happen for another 30 years. When it finally came, it shocked everyone.

In 1992, researchers found that new neurons could form in mammals. They used a petri dish to isolate neural stem cells from mice. To make sure that their results were accurate, they replicated the study thousands of times for the next 25 years. As a result, scientists now know that the adult brain can grow new glial cells and neurons. Because of this, the brain is considered plastic and pliable.

The new studies led to the term neuroplasticity. This term reflects the brain's ability to rewire itself. New cells and new learning help the brain to make connections. This is similar to the way that the muscles in the body work. Whenever you work out, your muscles become stronger. If you work out your brain, your brain becomes stronger and healthier. If you want to heal your brain and increase your neurons, the following tips can help.

Working out is not just good for your body. It turns out that exercise is great for your mind as well. Your brain consumes a lot of oxygen and glucose, but it cannot store these chemicals for future use. Instead, it needs a steady supply of these nutrients to work. When you work out, it increases blood flow to your mind. This delivers extra glucose and oxygen to your brain. It takes just 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise to boost your cognitive function.

Exercise can also help with hippocampal neurogenesis. This means that new cells can grow in the part of the brain connected to emotions and long-term memory. This can protect your brain from aging and dementia.

It seems like everything in the modern world can cause stress, but stress is terrible for the brain. Increased stress cause your body to secrete fight-or-flight hormones. Stress is actually one of the reasons why your cognitive functions decline with age. In a 2011 study in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry, researchers found that activities like reading books or knitting reduced cognitive impairment by as much as 50 percent.

In a German study published in PLOS One, scientists found that people who engaged in making art had better mental results than people who just observed the art. The group that made art pieces had more activity in key parts of the brain and stronger psychological resilience. This means that the best relaxation activity is something that you are engaging in actively.

A final idea is to try meditating or listening to music. Both techniques can help the brain regenerate. Meditation can also reduce inflammation, decrease anxiety, lower blood pressure and reduce depression. Through listening to music and meditation, you can change how your brain responds to stress.

Certain supplements can also help your brain health. Turmeric has compounds that help nerves regenerate and repair themselves. When brain cells are exposed to compounds in turmeric, it actually increases the complexity and number of neural stem cells.

For an alternative option, try drinking more green tea. This tea can actually repair damaged areas of the brain and can potentially treat neurodegenerative disorders. If you combine carnosine, blueberry and green tea together, it can even stimulate new neurons and stem cells to form in the brain.

Ginkgo biloba can also help boost your mental health. It is known to treat more than 100 diseases through 50 different health benefits. For the brain, this herbal supplement  helps to increase an important brain protein. It helps to heal damaged parts of the brain and is especially good for long-term memory. In one research study, Ginkgo was found to be just as effective in treating Alzheimer's disease as the pharmaceutical drug, donepezil.

Eating vegetables is not just good for your physical health. Vegetables are also excellent for your mind as well. Sulfur-rich vegetables like broccoli are high in a compound known as sulforaphane. This compound is able to increase nerve growth in the brain. It can also lower inflammation and prevent neurons from dying. The best vegetables for sulforaphane are cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, radishes, cauliflower, mustard leaves, turnips, bok choy, broccoli, watercress, horseradish and turnips. 

If you want your brain to remain sharp, you have to give yourself a mental workout. Studies of elderly adults have consistently found that stimulating the mind prevented age-related decline. Cognitive training provides a long-term benefit for adults. In research studies, scientists have found that cognitive training helps boost reasoning

skills and processing speed.

Are you going to start regenerating your brain? Let us know about your results.

Let your friends know how they can make their brain healthier.

Spread awareness about how everyone can start regenerating their brain for better mental health.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!