Table of Contents
By Sayer Ji
Have you ever wished you could regenerate your brain cells?
Do you think that your aging brain is in a perpetual state of decline?
There’s new hope. Researchers are rewriting medical science to show that you can improve the health of your brain neurons. Repairing damage is not only possible, it’s something anyone can do.
It’s still a commonly held misconception that the brain is beyond repair. That mistaken notion was based for decades on belief, not research. Santiago Ramón y Cajal, called in his day the “father of neuroscience,” once declared, “nothing may be regenerated” in the adult brain. This dogma was adopted by many in the medical field. The belief formed that you can’t repair or regenerate damaged brain tissue.
Compelling evidence for brain regeneration actually began to surface in the 1960s with a report by MIT scientist Joseph Altman. He found the hippocampus of adult rats and guinea pigs as well as the cortex of cats indeed underwent a process termed neurogenesis, ie, the growth and development of nervous tissue. Now it was seen that the brain’s cells can repair, even if the medical establishment once believed that when brain cells die they are gone forever.1
Researchers amassed more evidence in the decades that followed, showing the brain is in a continually dynamic state of self-repair and self-regeneration. Scientists found that the brain relies on neural stem cells to replace and repair damaged and aged tissue. That the brain can regenerate is now known, though what methods increase and support the brain’s innate self-healing capacity, and how can you prevent interference with the brain’s natural regenerating process?
It turns out there are many examples of healing practices and regenerative substances. Regarding the latter, an accumulating body of research reveals that common foods such as broccoli contain compounds capable of stimulating the repair and renewal of nerve tissue in the brain. Also, a compound found in turmeric—aromatic-turmerone—a fat-soluble component, appears to be an ideal way to enhance the brain’s natural regenerative processes. However, these are only 2 instances; I and my team have compiled and indexed over 45 natural substances with neurogenic properties on the Green Med website.2,3
Rewriting the Story of Brain Health
The field of cognitive neuroscience is relatively new—around one hundred years old. It’s no surprise then that we are still learning about how the neural circuitry of the human brain supports overall brain function. It was believed that because brain cells were finite, any loss or injury would be suffered as a deficiency for the rest of a person’s life. This belief created the false notion that the brain is essentially in a perpetual state of decline.
Although compelling evidence to the contrary was presented as early as 1960 by Joseph Altman at MIT, it was Fernando Nottebohm’s research at Rockefeller University in the 1980s that clearly showed neurogenesis—production of new nerve cells, aka neurons—takes place in the adult mammalian brain. The next step in this scientific evolution took more than thirty years. However, after that the pace of our understanding of how the brain is wired was about to take a quantum leap.
Our Elastic Brain
Scientists in 1992 isolated neural stem cells (from mice) in a Petri dish, and then observed the growth of new neurons in these adult, mammalian brain cells. This regeneration was then replicated thousands of times in a variety of published studies over the next twenty-five years.
Those observations led to acceptance in medical science that the adult human brain is capable of growing new neurons and glial cells. The brain is now considered to be resilient, pliable—and neuroplastic. The term neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to “rewire” itself through new learning or practice of a desired skill.
It is the building of new cells with new learning that creates this neuro-magic. When fresh nerve cells are stimulated (ie, trained through specific learning exercises) they make new connections. In other words, they become healthy brain cells that contribute to learning and the development of new skills.
Just as with the body’s muscles, when the brain is nourished and stimulated through exercise, it heals and grows. And with proper care and feeding, this amazing brain regeneration can occur throughout life. To help make this a “no-brainer,” below is a simple list of ways you can safeguard brain health, stimulate new brain cell growth, and even heal the brain.
1. Get Lots of Physical Exercise
When you hear the phrase “train your brain,” you probably don’t think of physical exercise; however, it turns out physical exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body and your brain. The brain benefits of exercise are two-fold.
First, the brain is a voracious consumer of glucose and oxygen, with no ability to store excess for later use. A continual supply of these nutrients is needed to maintain optimal functioning. Physical exercise increases the blood flow to the brain, delivering a boost of fresh oxygen and glucose to hungry brain cells. A 2014 study showed that just 30 minutes of moderate cardio-pulmonary exercise was enough to boost cognitive functioning in adult brains of all ages.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Exercise is believed to stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis or new cell growth in the region of the brain associated with long-term memory and emotions. Healthy cell growth in this region is important to the aging brain, and it can help prevent cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
2. Stress-Reduction Techniques
Unmanaged stress is one of the top factors in age-related cognitive decline. This makes engaging in regularly scheduled leisure activities not just a fun thing to do, but an important step toward ensuring optimal brain health.
You don’t need to look far to find ways to de-stress. Let your interests guide you. The key to picking brain-healthy pastimes is to avoid passive activities such as watching TV, and instead choose stimulating hobbies that engage the brain through patterns, puzzles, and problem-solving.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry found that activities such as playing games, reading books, and crafts such as quilting and knitting reduced rates of cognitive impairment by up to 50 percent. Engaging with art also ranks high on the list of brain-healthy hobbies. Studies prove that it’s not enough to be a passive observer. To get the brain-boost, we must engage.
In a German study reported in the journal PLOS One, researchers examined two groups: one observed art and one produced art. The study showed that compared to those who observed art, the art producers demonstrated increased interactivity between the frontal and parietal cortices of the brain. This increased brain connectivity translated to enhanced psychological resilience in the group of art producers. Bottom line: Their ability to resist the negative effects of stress improved.
Looking for a low-key way to unwind? How about playing beautiful music or sitting in quiet contemplation? Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and even build resistance to feelings of anxiety and depression. While listening to music may seem like a passive activity, research suggests that the focused act of listening to musical patterns facilitates brain neurogenesis.
Both meditation and listening to music affect the secretion of key hormones that enhance brain plasticity, thus changing the way we respond to stress. Talk about good medicine!
3. Strategic Supplements
Turmeric
You probably know at least one person who raves about the health benefits of turmeric. This deep-orange root has been used globally as a panacea for everything from soothing joint pain and calming inflammation to lowering the risk of heart disease. The research continues to grow. Turmeric is an example of a remyelinating compound, which means it’s a substance with proven nerve-regenerative effects.
Remyelinating compounds work to repair the protective sheath around the nerve bundle known as myelin. This area is often damaged in autoimmune and vaccine-induced disorders. Research shows that even small doses of these restorative substances can produce significant nerve regeneration.
The Western pharmaceutical model is based on identifying and isolating the “active ingredient” of an organic substance. This fails to account for the fact that organic compounds often work in concert. Isolates by themselves often lack a critical component that another element from the same plant provides as part of its healing power.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric that manufacturers isolate; however, new research shows that another element found in turmeric has powerful properties of its own. In an exciting study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, researchers found that a little-known component within turmeric, Ar-turmerone, may be “a promising candidate to support regeneration in neurologic disease.”5
The study showed that when brain cells were exposed to ar-tumerone, neural stem cells increased in number and complexity, indicating a healing effect. This was replicated in rats, who when exposed to ar-tumerone evidenced increased neural stem cell production and the generation of healthy new brain cells.
Green Tea
A 2014 study of the active compounds in green tea (catechins), determined that green tea catechins are not only antioxidant and neuroprotective, they actually stimulate the brain to produce more neurons. Because of this therapeutic effect on damaged regions of the brain, green tea has been shown to have promise in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. This prompted researchers to declare green tea catechins, “…a highly useful complementary approach” in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Further investigation of green tea examined a combination of blueberry, green tea, and carnosine. Researchers found this combination promoted growth of new neurons and brain stem cells in an animal model of neurodegenerative disease.6
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba is considered a powerhouse in the herbal medicine pharmacopeia, and its implications for brain health are equally potent. Ginkgo has demonstrated at least 50 distinct health benefits, and its medicinal value is documented in the treatment of more than 100 different diseases. There are numerous studies on Ginkgo’s ability to stimulate levels of a critical brain protein called BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor.7
This protein affects healing in damaged regions of the brain and is essential in the regulation, growth, and survival of brain cells, making it especially important for long-term memory. Ginkgo is so effective that a 2006 paper published in the European Journal of Neurology found it to be as useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as the celebrated drug, Donepezil.
Recently, a new mechanism behind Ginkgo Biloba’s brain healing properties came to light with the publication of an article in Cell and Molecular Neurobiology. Researchers determined that Ginkgo is effective, in part, due to its ability to modulate neural stem cells (NSCs) into the type of cell that is necessary in the specific region of the brain where the BDNF proteins are active.8
NSCs are multipotent cells; they have the amazing ability to shapeshift into any of the many different phenotypes of cells that make up the brain. Ginkgo stimulates the growth of the right cell phenotype for the affected region of the brain, giving your brain exactly what’s needed, where it’s needed.
4. Vegetable Effect on Neurons
The newest addition to the list of neurogenic substances is sulforaphane, an incredibly powerful sulfur-containing biomolecule found in cruciferous vegetables. The Green Med sulforaphane database contains research on its potential therapeutic value in about 200 different conditions.9
A recent study published in the journal Genesis revealed that sulforaphane may have significant ameliorative properties against underlying pathological disturbances—such as increased oxidative stress, inflammation, perturbed calcium homeostasis, and neuronal death—commonly found in neurodegenerative diseases.
An already robust body of literature exists indicating that sulforaphane has the following beneficial pharmacological actions: Up-regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which increases innate antioxidant mechanisms, and suppression of interleukin-1b (IL-1b) enabling it to exert its anti-inflammatory effects. The investigative team also determined that exposing NSCs to sulforaphane resulted in their differentiation to neurons, lending powerful support to the hypothesis that sulforaphane could stimulate brain repair.10
This research provides compelling evidence that the consumption of sulforaphane-containing foods may have therapeutic value in brain degenerative disorders. Sulforaphane is a naturally occurring biomolecule that has been in the human diet throughout history. It is likely that its regular consumption delivers physiologically significant quantities, and it’s in a nutritional system—food—that is safe and effective in the prevention of disease.
The side benefits of consuming such sulforaphane foods are higher than one would anticipate if one were simply looking to prevent or heal one specific concern. That’s the amazing thing about healing with whole foods: their health benefits are too vast to confine to one or two applications.
What is the best way to obtain sulforaphane? While Cruciferous vegetables contain significant amounts of sulforaphane, it’s the sprouts of broccoli that have much higher concentrations of sulforaphane than the mature broccoli plant, gram-per-gram. However, if you want to stimulate brain cell regrowth while you’re having lunch, just add some freshly steamed broccoli to your plate!
Vegetables containing sulforaphane include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard leaves, radish, turnips, watercress, and bok choy. It’s easy, with such variety, to consume at least 3 cups per day of sulforaphane vegetables, raw or cooked.
5. Continuous Learning
Aging is often associated with cognitive decline, both in research and anecdotal evidence. However, a growing body of literature shows that retaining a sharp, lucid brain means using your critical thinking skills.
The need to continually challenge and expand your thinking was demonstrated in the 2011 study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry mentioned above. In this study, the leisure time activities of a group of older adults (ages 70-89) were monitored for effect on mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The study determined that the level of complexity of the activity was key to its effectiveness at preventing MCI.
Working with computers, reading books, and activities associated with patterns and problem-solving contributed to a significant decrease in the odds of developing MCI. Less stimulating activities showed no statistical effect. This stresses the importance of feeling challenged and stimulated by the activities we pursue as we age.
These findings were reinforced by a 2014 study of nearly 3,000 volunteers, spanning more than a decade. This study examined the potential long-term benefit of cognitive training in older adults. Results showed that participants demonstrated enhanced brain processing speed and reasoning skills for up to ten years after the training was completed.
These tangible brain benefits spilled over into daily life and were measured in the participants’ ability to complete normal daily tasks, such as personal finances, meal preparation, and personal care routines. One researcher said of the study, “The idea is, the more stimulating your environment, the more you’re increasing the complexity of your brain.”
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For more information on ways to keep your brain healthy, visit https://www.greenmedinfo.com/disease/aging-brain
This article was adapted by Well Being Journal from two previously published original articles at greenmedinfo.com titled “Brain Regeneration: Why It’s Real & How to Do It,” published first 10-05-18 and updated October 29, 2019, and “Broccoli Can Stimulate Brain Regeneration,” originally published 03-13-17 and updated May 12, 2019.
Sayer Ji, founder of Greenmedinfo.com, is a reviewer at the International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, Co-founder and CEO of Systome Biomed, Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Health Federation, and Steering Committee Member of the Global Non-GMO Foundation. His new book (Hay House, Inc., 2020) is titled Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology.
References
- The Guardian: “Does your brain produce new cells?” https://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2012/feb/23/brain-new-cells-adult-neurogenesis
- https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-whole-turmeric-heals-damaged-brain-1
- https://www.greenmedinfo.com/pharmacological-action/neuritogenic
- https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/can-turmeric-alleviate-500-causes-human-suffering
- https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-whole-turmeric-heals-damaged-brain-1
- https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/6-bodily-tissues-can-be-regenerated-through-nutrition
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=BDNF+gingko
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