Exercise...for the brain! and Infections can be Good

01 Feb 2011 12:54 #1 by ScienceChic
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/ ... 2011-01-31
Aerobic exercise bulks up hippocampus, improving memory in older adults
By Katherine Harmon | Jan 31, 2011

The research team found that adults aged 55 to 80 years who walked around a track for 40 minutes on three days a week for a year increased the volume of their hippocampus, the brain region that is implicated in memory and spatial reasoning. Older adults assigned to a stretching routine showed no hippocampal growth.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/01/25/1015950108

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podca ... n-11-01-31
Moms' Infection Helps Kids' Skin
The children of women with untreated worm infections while pregnant had fewer cases of eczema, lending further credence to the "hygiene hypothesis" that says that some immune challenges may have long-term benefits. Cynthia Graber comments
January 31, 2011

Can we be too clean? According to what’s called the hygiene hypothesis, yes. Without being challenged as kids, our immune systems don’t flourish. Scientists think it could be part of the rise of allergies and asthma.

Now a new study supports the hygiene hypothesis: infants in Uganda had a lower chance of developing the skin allergy condition eczema if their moms had helminth worm infections while pregnant.

A 2005 study showed that the kids of women treated for worm infections had more eczema. Twenty-five hundred pregnant women took part in this follow-up research. Some got one worm-killing drug. Others took a different drug. And a third group received a placebo. One drug nearly doubled the kids’ risk of eczema. The other more than doubled the odds.

Helminth worm infections can give the mothers symptoms such as mild anemia or stomach pain and vomiting. Although many people have no symptoms at all. The scientists say more research is needed before they would recommend not treating worm infections. But the work lends additional support to the idea that hygiene may be a balancing act rather than a goal.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill

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07 Apr 2011 12:52 #2 by rocky mtn thyroid center
Awesome info , Sci Chi

Question: any studies showing increased hippocampal volume is associated with improvements in cognition, photo memory, or the conversion of short term to long term memory? I've seen some functional MRI of brains before and after a whole host of different variables were introduced,
like gluten,adrenal stress, etc. They show increases in activity when the noxious stimuli is reduced or when appropriate botannicals are used.
But, no studies from the angle that says cognitiion and memory improve.

Also like the hygeine thing. Many people do not know about triclosan which is in most commercial anti bacterial soaps. This depresses your immune system among other things.

Go play in the mud!

Dr. T

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07 Apr 2011 22:24 #3 by ScienceChic

rocky mtn thyroid center wrote: Awesome info , Sci Chi

Question: any studies showing increased hippocampal volume is associated with improvements in cognition, photo memory, or the conversion of short term to long term memory? I've seen some functional MRI of brains before and after a whole host of different variables were introduced,
like gluten,adrenal stress, etc. They show increases in activity when the noxious stimuli is reduced or when appropriate botannicals are used.
But, no studies from the angle that says cognitiion and memory improve.

Dr. T

Hmm, I don't know! It would be interesting to find out if there are functional improvements, not just physiological changes. As you probably know, it's much more difficult to confidently assess a subjective response change, like if their photo recall is better this time than last time, so researchers like to stop at measuring the physiological response as that can be directly measured (X% more neurons are active this time than last time due to X stimulus), and then functional ability changes "suggested". I'll investigate and see what I can find b/c now I'm curious! (Thanks for the brain exercise!)

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill

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