Brain Fitness NewsWell-Balanced Mental Growth During Brain Training Determined By Special Protein!
For years, neuro-scientists have linked training-related brain cell growth, repair, and the creation of new cells (a process known as Neurogenesis) to brain-fertilizing proteins such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). BDNF has been associated with Neuroplasticity, which is both the brain's ability to compensate for any damage, as well as the strengthening of brain cells in response to strategically unique brain training approaches.
But what if brain cells received a bit too much to eat and began growing out of control?
According to research, brain cells that grow too big, too fast can malfunction. Dr. Edwin R. Chapman, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) says, "If synapses are tweaked to the max...they lose plasticity [the ability to grow and adapt to increased or changing demands] and don't work well."
In a study published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, work conducted in the SMPH Physiology Department by postdoctoral fellow Camin Dean and colleagues reports that a special chemical protein labeled Synaptotagmin-IV (Syt-IV) serves as a significant source for regulating the release of BDNF to prevent over-expansion and maintain neurological balance that allows for just the right amount of growth at the right pace.
With this knowledge, researchers are using the knowledge gained from studying Syt-IV for the prospect of testing methods whereby restricting its power may permit neurotrophic growth factors and other neurological agents to spur cell repair, growth, and neurogenesis in cases where brain disease is interfering with healthy plasticity and other brain processes.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|