Influencing Neurogenesis Part 2

My previous blog post ‘Influencing Neurogenesis Part 1: The Shifting Sands Of Our Psyche’ highlighted the relatively new understanding that our brains can change and adapt better than we previously understood. Neurogenesis is the fascinating process of our brain’s ability to generate new neurons, showing promise for mental health disorders, memory issues and brain ageing, traumatic brain injuries and reducing the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s. For more detail check out that article HERE.

But let us get into the ways we can influence neurogenesis through lifestyle factors:

Exercise and Brain Gains

Exercise, in particular, has an incredibly pivotal role in creating new brain cells, enhancing neuroplasticity, improving mood, memory, focus and energy levels. This is hardly new research. We all know that exercise is good for us, but to reiterate: if we look at the brains of those who exercise regularly vs those who are sedentary we can observe drastic differences between the two.

As well as increasing blood flow and oxygen in the brain, exercise floods the brain with a blissful neurochemical bath. Physical exercise stimulates the production of serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and endorphins.

For those who do not know already: endorphins is short for endogenous morphine (endogenous meaning produced by the body). Understanding that helps us understand the potency of these chemicals. Endorphins produce a powerful high and act as an extremely effective painkiller. So if you break both your legs, you should just go for a ten-mile run to kill the pain..

In all seriousness though the regular release of these chemicals works wonders for mental health disorders, namely depression and anxiety. Exercise also positively benefits our sleep cycle and appetite, which boosts neurogenesis and positively affects our mood and overall health. Research suggests that long-distance aerobic exercise is the best way to impact neurogenesis, meaning distance running has more of an effect than HIIT training when it comes to building the brain (although we shouldn’t disregard HIIT training either).

It is commonly accepted within psychology and neuroscience that: ‘the way we fire is the way we wire’. Bathing your brain in these positive neurotransmitters allows our brains to rewire itself in a positive direction and can alleviate the symptoms of depression.

But wait. There is more to it than just releasing happy chemicals at regular intervals. Exercise also directly mediates the process of neurogenesis by promoting the release of the molecule BDNF. BDNF stands for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and is a growth factor that allows to keep neurones alive and healthy as well as being a main driver of neuroplasticity. BDNF is well researched and can be looked at as fertilizer for the brain. BDNF is well researched and can be looked at as fertilizer for the brain.

BDNF in action

Treatments for certain anxiety disorders involve rewiring the brain to respond differently to a certain stimulus, for example, PTSD sufferers will be trained, through exposure or otherwise to a stimulus that triggers anxiety in them. Such as, those who were involved in a road traffic accident may be scared of driving. Over time, successful therapies will allow the brain to respond differently to these stimuli, by turning in to the anxiety and altering the fear response so that these triggers are successfully disarmed. The process is known as habituation and is an extremely effective treatment for disordered anxiety. We’ve all heard of facing our fears.

It has been observed (Dr Francis lee) that those who possess a gene polymorphism that reduces the amount of BDNF produced in the brain have a harder time responding to these therapies. Its as if the brains of those lacking BDNF just didn’t learn to diminish the response as much as those whose brains had that extra neuroplastic push. It appears as if their neuronal pathways were more rigid and less plastic than those whose brains could be allowed to reprogramme and heal the same wounds.

This seems disheartening but actually allows us to refine our treatments seeing as we now understand that levels of BDNF can be increased in the human brain. This also allows for a more personalized treatment: By looking at potential gene polymorphisms that decrease levels of BDNF in the brain we can actually preemptively identify those who have a lessened likelihood to be resilient to stressful situations.

The idea of screening soldiers for a predisposition to developing PTSD before any stressful situations are experienced has been theorized. Understandably BDNF could just be scratching the surface to treating PTSD from a biological standpoint, there are likely many other molecules, genes and pathways at play – Dr Francis Lee commented himself that: ‘If it were that simple we would likely have cured it already’.

A similar study (Perez-Rodriguez et al.) looked at the effect of a gene polymorphism that reduced BDNF in the brain and its effects on amygdala habituation in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder. The proposed link in the study was that: a deficit in habituation to repeated emotional stimuli could be an endophenotype (a genetically inherited predisposition) for disorders that involved emotional dysregulation such as BPD. The study discovered that this deficit in habituation was significantly correlated with those who possessed the gene polymorphism (Val66Met): a gene polymorphism that reduced the activity-dependent release of BDNF. We can deduce from this study that BDNF plays a crucial role in habituation and therefore a key role in treating psychiatric disorders. Habituation to stimuli is crucial to reducing anxiety in patients with the disordered fear response (OCD, GAD, Panic disorder, PTSD etc). Therefore, we can observe that BDNF is integral for the growth of new neurons within the human brain, shows extreme promise for understanding psychiatric disorders and highlights another reason why exercise is extremely beneficial for our mental health.

DISCLAIMER: The previous sections on BDNF may have appeared to suggest that similar inherited factors determine our mental state and that we are a slave to our genetic predispositions. This is a dangerous thought when it comes to mental health as often the best card in the hand of anxiety and depression is that ‘this will last forever’ or ‘there’s nothing you can do about this’. I would like to intervene before you start thinking: well perhaps I have a gene polymorphism that dictates that I will never recover from my mental health issues. This is the opposite of the point I was trying to make. These new discoveries about BDNF, Neurogenesis and epigenetics show that: You are not your genes, you are not your thoughts, your brain is capable of change and this too shall pass! So shut up anxiety, I know you want to stay here in my head forever, where it is comfortable and warm, we had a great run but I’m terribly sorry, it’s not me it you…

The Neurogenesis Diet

Dietary interventions can also bolster neurogenesis, with research suggesting that reducing sugar and saturated fat can be integral. A diet reportedly high in sugar, alcohol, saturated fat and low in vitamin E, B and A shows a reduced capacity for neurogenesis overall. However, it is worth mentioning that red wine contains resveratrol, which is a fascinating compound that actually increases neurogenesis. Due to red wine containing both resveratrol and ethanol, it can be considered ‘neurogenesis neutral’ and you may be doing yourself more of a favour for switching up your tipple of choice for red wine, although if you are interested in taking in more resveratrol without the ethanol, reach for red grapes.

Limiting pro-inflammatory omega-6 (bad) fats and sugar in the diet leads to a reduction in inflammation. There has been an established link between chronic inflammation and a reduction in brain health. To reduce the fire in our belly and brain we have to ensure our diet and exercise regimes are dialled in. Although ‘good’ fats, such as omega -3 fatty acids cannot and should not be included in this category. The idea that ALL fats are bad is a dusty old paradigm that no longer holds true. In-fact these good fats are amongst the most important staples in the neurogenesis diet.

Omega 3

Cod liver oil tablets are one of the most researched supplements in the world and consistently prove to be integral to human health. They are made of omega -3 fatty acids: These are a set of hallmark ‘good fats’ that are widely sourced from fish such as salmon, cod, sardines and tuna. Omega 3s have shown to increase levels of BDNF, improved neuroplasticity, antidepressant/anxiolytic effects, increased brain size and neuroprotective benefits. Two of the most widely studied omega 3 fatty acids are Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA). Our brains are around 60% fat; in fact, 30% of our cerebral cortex is composed of (DHA) which is one of the most important omega 3 fatty acids. With regards to neuroplasticity, it would make sense to ensure the correct building blocks are available; if you have a brick wall that gets damaged it would make sense to repair it with bricks.. Omega 3s help us manufacture healthy new neurons and cell membranes whilst being vastly studied for their anti-inflammatory effects.

Blueberries

Flavonoids are various compounds that can be found in fruits and vegetables. They are also abundant in wine, tea and chocolate. Compounds containing flavonoids have been studied extensively for their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In particular, blueberries have consistently shown promise for increasing neurogenesis and protecting the brain from cognitive decline. If blueberries were a drug, big pharma would likely be bombarding us with advertisements trying to entice us into buying into this groundbreaking, brain-boosting miracle drug. The reason behind this is suspected to be the result of chemicals known anthocyanins, which give blueberries their bluish-red pigment. Anthocyanin is a flavonoid that can pass through the blood-brain barrier and work in a number of ways: Boosting neurogenesis (duh), providing neuroprotective effects, reducing inflammation and increasing signal transduction (improving connections between brain cells). People with symptoms of cognitive decline have shown improvements after consuming blueberries daily and mice bred to have Alzheimer’s disease showed improvements in memory function after being fed blueberries. All in all, when it comes to the neurogenesis diet, blueberries are always a hot topic.

Green Tea

Green tea contains polyphenols that have shown to increase neurogenesis, prevent cancer, boosts BDNF, improve immune function and benefit cardiovascular health. A specific catechin in green tea known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has shown extreme anti-inflammatory, and neurogenesis boosting properties. Green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, so those who would prefer to avoid the caffeine could search for caffeine-free versions. Although green tea also contains a compound known as L-Theanine which has shown to increase feelings of relaxation, this provides an obscure mixture with the caffeine in green tea to potentially smooth out some of the caffeine jitters.

Prebiotic Fiber

Recent publishings (Dr James M. Hill) from Louisiana State University School of Medicine shows that gut bacteria are capable of producing chemicals such as BDNF and GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid is an important inhibitory chemical in the human brain that acts as an ‘off switch for anxiety’, drugs such as valium and alcohol work on the GABA system). When researchers disrupt gut bacteria in mice, they not only observe behavioural changes in the mice but also changes in the volume of these chemicals. To ensure a diverse and health microbiome it is integral to consume a wide variety of prebiotic fibres to cultivate larger blooms of good bacteria. Supplementation with probiotics/consuming probiotic foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut is also recommended. Gut dysbiosis can result in a permeable gut layer, allowing for a plethora of inflammation-inducing chemicals to crossover into the bloodstream causing serious systemic inflammation. Not only is getting gut microbiota under control important for inflammatory conditions such as IBS, it is an important contributing factor to ensuring proper mental function and mood.

So just to recap… The ten commandments of neurogenesis:

Increase exercise, especially long-distance running
Ensure proper sleep hygiene
Aim to reduce stress levels, ease off with overtime at work, say no to some things etc
Practice healthy, safe, sex
Supplement omega-3 fish oil & consume more of these healthy fats in your diet, from fish etc.
Eat more blueberries
Drink less alcohol and more green tea
Consume more probiotic foods and prebiotics fibres
Establish a solid schedule
Learn some new hobbies

Neurogenesis is important. It allows our brains, and therefore us, to grow, adapt and be the best it can be. Neurogenesis can be influenced by our genetics without a doubt and may explain some predispositions to certain mental health conditions. This, however, isn’t a death sentence either as there are clearly several lifestyle interventions that can alter how our brains grow and become protected. So if you are somebody who is lethargic, depressed, suffer from anxiety, brain fog, is recovering from traumatic brain injury or simply can’t even remember what I have been talking about this entire time; take these steps to miracle grow that mushy lump of cells between your ears that encodes for everything that you are and ever will be (no big deal).

Peace!