MCD BIO 90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Neuroplasticity, Cardiovascular Disease, Oligodendrocyte
5 Apr 2018
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Fitness and exercise has an effect on our neurons. If the number of neurons in our brain declines, we can get memory loss (alzheimer"s). Dogma on adult neurogenesis: after birth, the mammalian birth contains a finite number of neurons that cannot replicate nor can they regenerate if damages. This statement is clearly wrong because when we run into a pole or get a concussion (or any damage to the brain), some of our neurons die. Thus, if this were true, we would be getting dumber. Moreover, alcohol, which kills brain cells, would make us significantly dumber. Doesn"t explain why we recover from brain damage: we don"t get dumber. This was only corrected in 1994: as adults we can increase or decrease them with our lifestyle. Neuroplasticity: capacity of changing or making new connections between neurons of neurons changing. Stress affects our neuroplasticity, by making bad connections. Experiment: animals exposed to bad odor to cause stress.
