This is a decent article based on a new study:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl6klez226o
I attended a neuroscience class in which the neuroscientists asked at what age neurons start to die. Students raised their arms and guessed mostly 20s. I raised my arm and guessed 40s. Self-satisfied the scientist declared it was shortly after birth. That was some time ago and it turned out that I was more right than him.
Knowledge changes as new studies and new technology add to previous knowledge. I have not read the actual Cambridge study yet, but it's heading in the right direction. However, it's only 4000 people and 100000 is the general minimum to reflect society. How many where healthy? How many were retired at 65? How many were lifelong learners? How many continued to learn new things? How was their nutrition to build those neurons? (Including glucose, the brain loves sweets to think and grow).
Science fact: While the brain is not a muscle it needs to be exercised. People who were polymaths as children and engaged in hobbies that ranged widely are less likely to get dementia and even less likely to get Alzheimers. So someone who knits their entire life and then takes a woodworking class would force new neuronal connections and it generally takes three months to do so. They would benefit more than someone who starts crocheting after knitting.
The brain is hardwired to learn languages. Especially at an early age. For reasons that are still not understood speaking three or more proficiently is also a protective factor. Of note is that cognitive decline in the older population (80 and above) causes many to revert to their native language which actually requires less effort.
Whatever the new activity is it needs to be challenging.
The brain unfortunately prunes neurons that have not been used in a while and it may be the reason that we see a cognitive decline with aging. We also have a tendency to be less motivated, so it turns into chicken vs. egg scenario. People who enjoy hiking will continue to do it into old age, but might not be inclined to pick up something that they have not done before.
Complete myth: A very irritating and persistent myth is that we only use 20% of our brains and can unlock the potential..blah blah blah. If we used all of it at once it would be like jogging while figureskating at the same time painting and composing music while listening to a Playlist and reading a book. Neither possible nor desirable.
How intelligent someone is depends on a number of factors, but it is believed that it has a blue print where certain functions go, which vary from individual to individual. In highly intelligent people and individuals like Einstein or DaVinci the brain had more convolutions (increased number of folds). It was confirmed in Einsteins brain who donated his body to science.
Something that was discovered in the last decade is that memories are formed and stored all over the brain and likely closer to the area that usually processes that information. It goes beyond the basics listed here:
https://qbi.uq.edu.au/memory/where-are-memories-stored
The important thing is to learn new skills throughout one's life.
Add to that languages, just read this today (study with 86 149 participants from 27 different European countries): https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-01000-2
ReplyDeleteCodex: Yes thank you, I'll see how I can fit it in. Polyglots do particularly well. This study (from Chile?), identifies female gender as adverse, which is weird, because women do better later overall.
ReplyDeleteThe study subjects are all European and all European school curricula apart from the UK have at least one foreign language requirement, with learning often starting at kindergarden age. During the study period, all researchers were working at different study centers at European universities.
DeleteVery informative.
ReplyDeleteMicroplastics are another aspect increasingly and negatively affecting brain health. It's difficult to study for ethical reasons, most findings to date are based on animal and observational studies but not a good outlook overall. Here is an interesting recent overview:
ReplyDeletehttps://zoe.com/learn/how-microplastics-enter-your-body-and-why-it-matters
Codex: Hypothetical and unproven. The molecules are too big to enter the blood stream, much less cross the blood brain barrier. About 2009 China no longer wanted to recycle the world's plastic, wasn't lucrative enough anymore, so this was a way to get consumers to use less of it.
ReplyDeleteCodex@Sabine: Skimmed part of the article and glad you send it to me. She's all over the place and selling gut health products. BPA is still a concern when heated it leaches into our system (the chemical not the plastic). The cardboard treated with a thin layer for take out is actually carcinogenic much worse than plastic and sold as environmentally friendly. A friendly tip is to read such articles with skepticism.
ReplyDeleteSorry to disappoint but there have been studies on microplastics crossing the BBB. I'll dig out some links later, too busy today.
DeleteThanks for your friendly tip, what I sent you was the transcript of a podcast, not really an article.
DeleteHere are some links on BBB and micro/nanoplastics (MNPs):
This is from the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/21/microplastics-brain-pollution-health
It mentions several studies, incl. this one, which is still under peer review:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11100893/
Another, more recent study awaiting peer review:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40162223/
Here a published article:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2823787
Also:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41252097/
One of my nephews is a marine biologist participating in a long-term multidisciplinary research project in the south Atlantic, one research focus is on pollutants incl MNPs, he spends several weeks/year on the research vessel. He tells me that his US colleagues have not (yet?) received the promised funding renewal and may have to withdraw.
Regretfully, the database of the NIH (pubmed), which used to be the absolute gold standard of medical/scientific research publications is now considered compromised since DOGE has cleared its contents of whatever its "experts" deemed bad. When I read that EPA has only last week approved pesticides containing PFAs (banned or about to be banned in various EU countries), I would not be surprised to learn that research on MNPs is curtailed or that peer review of papers has been postponed. But I am only guessing.
Here is the link to one of the authors mentioned above. In my experience, researchers are very approachable for further information:
https://hsc.unm.edu/directory/campen-matthew-j.html
Codex: @Sabine, I was waiting for your citations before responding. There are too few studies, no cohort studies, questionable research methods and mostly on mice. Thank you for putting this together though. I'm familiar with most, but not all of them.
DeleteAt present I'm not concerned about mnp and human health and brains. Doesn't mean there isn't a new polymer that is harmful. We bioaccumulate a lot and live with it.
Many labs are shutting down because they can't run.
I wonder if the EU has the funds to step in. Do they?
Jama, Lancet are under a lot of pressure because so much of the funding is interlinked. Was told that scientists can't get into acog.
Godamn destructive mess.
Bad mood, please be gentle;)
Your post reminded me that when I was kid, I would sign my artwork, Leonardo DaVidstewart, ha. Cheers to new (challenging) activities! I continue learning ASL, and in January I'm starting a new job, lol. I can't imagine how depressing life would be without a life-long learning mindset.
ReplyDeleteCodex: This is why we're friends.:) I wanted something recognizable like one name Dali for my "masterpieces". I was wondering about ASL because it contains motor movement.Any info on it?
Delete*clap* on the new job.
Probably irrelevant to the topic but I've read that babies learn to communicate in ASL before that acquire language skills if the mother (and others) sign as well when they speak to their babies.
ReplyDeleteAt 75 I suppose I should take on learning something new unless switching from glass art in its various forms to watercolor fits the bill. I'm also trying to talk one of our local potters into giving classes but again, still in the arts. I think continued activity, even if it's not something new, contributes to brain health. Boredom is a brain killer. Loss of interest in life. Or maybe loss of interest in life is a result of poor brain health.
Codex: I know next to nothing about ASL and development. I took silversmithing and woodworking. Completely different way of thinking because I had to think in negative space as well as removing instead of adding.
ReplyDeleteThe old adage is you don't use it, you lose it. I have some ideas. Be back soon.
I think the part I liked best about the lost wax glass casting that I did was making the model, building up and then reducing, carving and refining the shapes. Filling the eventual mold was working in a negative space, visualizing the colors and the order they were placed in for the positive finished piece.
DeleteMy interests seem to be more creative than intellectual for the most part although there was about a decade when I read up on the origins of religion, myth, Jung, and metaphysical ideas.
Codex: I'm assuming lost wax casting silver is similar? Didn't find it hard although I've never done it before. The other silversmithing course was more challenging sawing taking the thickness of everything into consideration sautering annealing what was basically a cut out.
DeleteThat's the point. We do what we know. Taking something that were not that interested in is the (brain)challenge. New neuronal connections.
Codex: @Ellen You could try picking a subject you're interested in eg. History then memorizing facts. Great for memory.
ReplyDeleteAfter 80 and with the complication of Dementia my Mom couldn't remember English anymore and reverted to her Native Language of Welsh, which, nobody at the Hospice or Nursing Home she was in understood so thought she was speaking gibberish, which only served to piss her off. I had to tell them, and most were dual language Immigrants themselves, that it was a real Language she was speaking. I try to challenge myself daily to keep as much cognitive decline at bay as possible. I hope Blogging helps since it is a Creative Outlet and requires Thought.
ReplyDeleteCodex: Yes it does help, especially if you edit, which I'm currently guilty of not doing.;)
DeleteSurprised that they didn't realize that it's a language or didn't care?