Currently viewing the category: "dendrites"

Emotional Benefits of Breast-feeding Now Understood

By On · Add Comment · In babies, breastfeeding, dendrites, hormone, Innate Inteligence, oxytcin
Check out how incredible the human body is: Researchers have now uncovered how mothers deliver a hormonal burst to breastfeeding babies which triggers feelings of love and the baby’s trust that all of its needs are met. WOW! That’s simply incredible. The human body never ceases to amaze me.

Take a bite out of this tripper: When a baby breastfeeds, the suckling reflex triggers a hormonal cascade–large surges of the hormone oxytocin are released from mom’s brain–that provide baby with a sense of well-being. Science has known this, but what it didn’t know was how. The quandary was that the production of oxytocin from mother’s brain cells was just not enough to provide this response in baby alone, yet large surges in the hormone have been measured. Through computer simulation, however, researchers from China, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom found that the female brain recruits dendrites–whose normal job is to create communication channels between brain cells–into secreting the hormone. Mama mia! Now is there anybody who doesn’t find this as mind-blowing as I do?

The only thing I can say in my awe is that this is yet another example of Innate Intelligence working miraculous feats of living wonderment in what separates man from cadaver. This same Innate Intelligence know exactly which chemicals and neurotransmitters to secrete at all times, and frankly, I find it humbling. Whenever I come across man’s attempt to “improve” upon physiology through artificial means, I shake my head in contempt, simply because I know man can’t do it better than mother nature can–not now, not ever. But, sometimes, just understanding is enough. I bow down to the power of nature.

Aging Brains Do Better With Exercise

By On · Add Comment · In brain, central nervous system, cognitive function, Dante's Inferno, dendrites, exercise, mentally fit
When it comes to cognitive function, what’s more advantageous to the aging brain, mental or physical exercise? The answer is–BOTH!

That’s right, physical exercise is just as important as mental exercise when it comes to keeping mentally fit. So say researchers who have been studying brain function and aging.

According to experts, memory improved in 72-year olds when they took up a regular walking routine as little as three times per week. The brains of these seniors resembled those of younger people when scanned by sophisticated equipment measuring mental activity. No surprises here as exercise increases blood flow, which is absolutely essential for keeping the brain healthy. Blood brings nutrients and oxygen to a hard working brain keeping it nourished and healthy. Exercise also stimulates hormone production and keeps the central nervous system firing in a rhythmic pattern, which is necessary to keep the machinery running smoothly. You know, just like firing up the ol’ jalopy in the garage every now and again, just to make sure all the parts stay lubricated.

But, of course, mental activity must also take place regularly. As I’ve said in my last podcast (Episode 4), it also pays to keep learning new things. The process of learning developes dendrites–the nerve cell extensions that form neurological pathways. As the researchers of this latest study point out, people who are more mentally active, and especially those who have higher education, have bushier brains. That is, people who keep learning have more dendrites, and thus more neural pathways. The prescence of abundant dendrites causes a bushy appearance of the brain. No wonder my 6th grade math teacher had bushy ears. He was smart! And don’t forget–continued education also prevents Alzheimer’s disease.

So take heed–exercise regularly, and pick up a copy of Dante’s Inferno. That’ll help keep you functioning beautifully for years to come.

Many Advantages to Mental Sharpness

By On · Add Comment · In Alzheimer's disease, central nervous system, conscientousness, dendrites, mental sharpness, mindfulness

Being conscientious and focused can prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s later in life, current research shows. According to a study started in 1994 and involving Catholic nuns, priests and brothers (read about it in detail in The Six Keys To Optimal Health, coming soon), people who are conscientious–that is, those who are governed by or conform to the dictates of conscience, are self-disciplined, and scrupulous –are half as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as they age.

According to Robert S. Wilson, professor of neuropsychology at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and lead author of a report in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, conscientiousness is “a broad-based trait that is particularly about impulse control, self-discipline and delayed gratification.” The study’s findings seemed to hold up even when the researchers controlled for other personality traits and risk factors such as physical, cognitive and social activity, among others.

I’m really not surprised by these findings. One of the major premises in my upcoming book is the importance of keeping mentally sharp. Mental sharpness includes cognitive ability which depends on continuous education, focus and discipline which depend on consciousness, or better yet–mindfulness, and keeping one’s perspective balanced (more on this later–really, read my book–it’s all in there). All of these activities stimulate dendritic growth; that is the formation of new nerve pathways that keep the central nervous system functioning at optimal levels.

Hey, we’ve all got a choice to live a life of consciousness or one without. No judgements here, but a conscious life–to me–just seems fuller . It’s not easy and definitely not always a joy. Dammit, a conscious life is painful. But isn’t life about every side? Good, bad; easy, tough; cake, dung? Experiencing all sides is what life is truly about. And sticking to your guns, that is, staying true to who you are (not giving in) during trying times is precisely what determines conscientiousness. It’s not just about how you act but how you see things. What’s really important is not avoiding life’s drudgeries, but instead embracing them and carrying them out–that is the secret to conscientiousness.

Too Much Dummy Tube Leads to ADD

By On · Add Comment · In ADD, attention, attention deficit disorder, brain, brain development, children, concentration, dendrites, dendritic pathways, dummy tube, focus, problem solving, T.V., television

We all know that too much T.V. isn’t good for the brain, right? Well, at least most people with common sense suspect so, anyway. But now we have proof: Current research shows that young children who watch more than two hours of the brainfryer a day are more likely to have attention problems as adolescents.

Duh. You mean that constantly changing visual images rapidly flashing on a screen – sometimes faster than the human mind can comprehend (anyone hear of subliminal messages) – might have long term effects. You don’t say?

Think about it for a second (I’d have you think about it for a minute, but veteran television watchers might change the channel): Television really does consist of rapidly changing images. As a medium, it does not engage your concentration. You just passively watch images and listen to the accompanying audio. No thinking or concentrating necessary. True, you are following a story (reality shows notwithstanding), but it’s still a passive activity.

One might make an argument for educational T.V. (like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the History Channel), but you still passively watch and listen, which does nothing for the development of focus or concentration. Add to that today’s popular programming – reality shows, awards shows, music videos – and the term dummy tube starts to take on a whole new accuracy, doesn’t it?

The study, carried out at the Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand, showed that children who watched two or more hours per day were at a significant risk for developing attention deficit disorders later in life. And those who watched over three hours per day were at even greater risk. According to Carl Erik Landhuis, one of the lead authors of the study, kids who get used to watching lots of attention-grabbing TV may find ordinary life situations – like the classroom – boring. It’s also possible, he adds, that TV may simply crowd out time spent doing other activities that can build attention and concentration skills, such as reading and playing games.

Yes, that’s exactly it. Activities like reading, solving puzzles, playing sports and other games, learning computers or instruments, all require focus and concentration. They also require thinking and problem solving which leads to the development of dendritic pathways in the brain and nervous system, which leads to overall brain development. I’m sorry but T.V. doesn’t do that – no thinking involved. Furthermore, learning to entertain oneself in the absence of mind-numbing image flashing is the gateway to the imagination. Give your kid a copy of Tom Sawyer, Harry Potter, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, or whatever, and let them learn to stimulate their own vivid and priceless imaginations. And get them away from the dummy tube. Trust me, our autonomy and self-sufficiency as a civilization depend on it.

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