Better Thinking Through Neurogenesis

Ignoring countless science-fiction movies warning them of the perils of tampering with nature, scientists are forging ahead with research to build a better brain.

Need a smarter noggin? Perhaps neurogenesis is for you:

The researchers engineered mice with a genetic switch that would turn off a gene that kills most new neurons in the adult hippocampus, thereby allowing more of these neurons to proliferate. The switch was turned on when the mice were injected with a specific drug, allowing the researchers to intervene only in adulthood.

The engineered mice performed better at a task that required them to distinguish between a chamber in which they had previously received an electric shock and a similar one with slightly different features that they'd experienced as safe. Sahay explains that pattern separation "is a mnemonic process that we use on a day-to-day basis in navigating our environments" and that it is needed to form memories and make judgments.

Link (Image: Amar Sahay)


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If you really want to grow brain, pick up a book on a subject you have little interest in. Get interested in it. Study it. I've done this a bunch of times. I was surprised that I could switch from disliking something and feeling all the drain and boredom that I felt in high-school math class, to thoroughly enjoying the material and feeling like I was actually gaining something. Amazing!
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Look, I know that some REALLY dangerous R&D becomes the bedrock of future advances.

But I'd stick with Dr. Daniel Amen's recs for now.

DMAE, Gotu Kola, Omega 3s, Cardio Exercise, Awesome Nutrition+Supplements and constantly testing your brain with new things.

Ex: Churchill would paint, Einstein played the violin, etc.
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