Dr. Tara Swart

And the reason is that if you put your hand in the fire, your reflex to snatch your hand out is a fast pathway. But your pain reflex is a slow pathway, because if you were incapacitated by pain, the minute you put your hand in the fire, you wouldn't be able to get away from it. One of the mechanisms of neuroplasticity is becoming even better at something that you're really good at.

And that's happened through myelination. The most common one, which is something that you're quite good at, but if you had loads of time, you could become really good at it, but you maybe don't have loads of time, happens through synaptic connection. So that's the one that can feel like quite hard work. But if you put in the effort, then you can change your brain.

And that's happened through myelination. The most common one, which is something that you're quite good at, but if you had loads of time, you could become really good at it, but you maybe don't have loads of time, happens through synaptic connection. So that's the one that can feel like quite hard work. But if you put in the effort, then you can change your brain.

So that means that neurons that already exist in the brain connect up with each other and start to form new pathways. And the third mechanism, which doesn't happen a lot in the adult brain, but it does happen around the hippocampus because we do lay down new memories in life, happens a lot in children's brains, is called neurogenesis.

So that means that neurons that already exist in the brain connect up with each other and start to form new pathways. And the third mechanism, which doesn't happen a lot in the adult brain, but it does happen around the hippocampus because we do lay down new memories in life, happens a lot in children's brains, is called neurogenesis.

And that is little embryonic nerve cells that float around in the brain actually becoming fully formed nerve cells, neurons, and connecting up through synaptic connection and maybe getting myelinated. And there's a factor, a growth factor that's involved in that, the embryonic cell becoming an adult cell, which is called BDNF or brain derived neurotrophic factor. And trophic means growth.

And that is little embryonic nerve cells that float around in the brain actually becoming fully formed nerve cells, neurons, and connecting up through synaptic connection and maybe getting myelinated. And there's a factor, a growth factor that's involved in that, the embryonic cell becoming an adult cell, which is called BDNF or brain derived neurotrophic factor. And trophic means growth.

So neurotrophic is growth of neurons. And the things that contribute mostly to that are aerobic exercise and eating dark skinned foods. Yeah. Yeah.

So neurotrophic is growth of neurons. And the things that contribute mostly to that are aerobic exercise and eating dark skinned foods. Yeah. Yeah.

dark skinned foods yeah so let me just cover the exercise one first because this is one of my fun facts which is that if you are regularly doing aerobic exercise the turnover of those cells in your brain is about 13 14 percent so like the the amount and the speed in which they like die die off no the speed in which they go from embryonic to full-grown so okay yeah okay so because we want neurogenesis to happen okay

dark skinned foods yeah so let me just cover the exercise one first because this is one of my fun facts which is that if you are regularly doing aerobic exercise the turnover of those cells in your brain is about 13 14 percent so like the the amount and the speed in which they like die die off no the speed in which they go from embryonic to full-grown so okay yeah okay so because we want neurogenesis to happen okay

If you haven't been doing exercise for a while and then you start, the rate of cell turnover is like 30%. So it increases after a period of inactivity with new aerobic exercise. So that's my excuse for like being a couch potato half the time and then starting up again.

If you haven't been doing exercise for a while and then you start, the rate of cell turnover is like 30%. So it increases after a period of inactivity with new aerobic exercise. So that's my excuse for like being a couch potato half the time and then starting up again.

Yeah, making the embryonic cells grow into new cells and then connect up with existing ones.

Yeah, making the embryonic cells grow into new cells and then connect up with existing ones.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There are benefits to your brain of other types of exercise, but weight training doesn't relate to neurogenesis as much. Okay.

There are benefits to your brain of other types of exercise, but weight training doesn't relate to neurogenesis as much. Okay.

This isn't so much about language, but it's another example of mind over matter. So this was an experiment done on two groups of weightlifters. Thought you might like this one. That's a big compliment.