When researchers describe our brain, they quickly come to the hard truth. “It’s got a texture that’s like a soft-boiled egg,” says Susan A. Greenfield, an Oxford University professor and world-renowned expert on this, well, “wimp.”
Nevertheless, this something can remember, love, invent and dream for a lifetime. It can even think about itself. This is often the case with our expert Prof. Manfred Spitzer, Director of the Psychiatric University Clinic in Ulm. He is one of the brain researchers who launched the “Decade of the Mind” worldwide, which begins in 2010. His goal: to apply the results of brain research and put them to practical use. “Because they are of great importance for the future of our society,” says Spitzer. In Tolfioow he explains why and comments on fascinating studies.
A pacemaker for the brain
With hair-thin electrodes, the so-called deep brain stimulation, it is now possible to curb the involuntary tremors associated with Parkinson’s (15,000 new cases per year). The University of Bonn has now discovered that it can help even with the most severe depressions. “Nevertheless, we have only been able to use this method to change very basic settings in the brain,” explains Prof. Spitzer. “But in the foreseeable future it will certainly be possible to use it to influence higher brain functions as well.”
“What little Hans doesn’t learn…
…hans never learns any more.” No way! The brain is capable of learning and adapting well into old age and even forms new nerve cells. A special “glue” then brings them from their place of origin to their place of use, as a study published in November by the Helmholtz Zentrum München shows. “That’s the opposite of what I learned as a student,” says Prof. Spitzer. “Today we know that the brain is constantly changing and adapting. It’s never finished.” What does that mean for us? “Each of us can learn into old age. And also if e.g. For example, if a stroke damages part of the brain, all is not lost. I think that’s a much more optimistic view of things. ”
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Tune the intellect?
The brain cannot be pimped up like a sports car
It sounds tempting: just pop a pill and learning becomes child’s play. Tune the intellect like an engine. According to an anonymous survey, the DAK estimates that two million Germans have tried “IQ doping” at least once, and around 800,000 do it regularly. “I find that extremely questionable,” says Prof. Spitzer. “It has long been customary to e.g. B. to get going with coffee in the morning. But basically our brain works optimally. It doesn’t need any boost pills. Such an intervention in brain chemistry can quickly go wrong and lead to a real crash.”
Anyone can read minds
Kate Winslet spreads her arms at the bow of the “Titanic”, and the viewers in the cinema also think they can feel the wind. How does it work? It is due to so-called mirror neurons, which do not care whether we are doing something or watching others doing it. This is how compassion is born. “It’s similar with an area of the brain that processes the intensity of pain,” says Prof. Spitzer. “When we see someone in pain, it hurts us too. The good thing about it is that patients can learn to consciously influence this area of the brain – and thus reduce pain.”
65 cm – and no closer!
Of course: Whoever we love, we want to have as close to us as often as possible. But what about strangers, e.g. E.g. in the subway? A small structure in the front part of the brain, the so-called amygdala, ensures that we keep the right distance without conscious thought. According to a US study by the California Institute of Technology, 65 centimeters is the distance that we find comfortable with strangers.
Injection against Alzheimer’s
In search of the injection against Alzheimer’s
About a million Germans are gradually losing their ego. You have dementia , often Alzheimer’s. Experts estimate that by 2050 there will be 100 million people affected worldwide. There is therefore an intensive search for medication and a vaccine against forgetting. “So far we have been able to delay the course of Alzheimer’s by about half a year,” says Prof. Spitzer. “But I’m convinced that I – now I’m 51 – would like the introduction of a causal therapy, e.g. B. a vaccination, still experience. Thanks to brain research, we now understand the origin and course of other diseases better and can treat them more specifically.”
When you are overweight, your brain shrinks
Those who pay attention to their weight are not only less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases or type 2 diabetes, they also reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s. A research team led by neurologist Paul Thompson from the University of California in Los Angeles found this out. On the other hand, overweight people (BMI over 25) have up to four percent less nerve tissue in the brain, and obese people (BMI over 30) up to eight percent less. “And their brains look up to 16 years older,” warns Thompson.
Brain jogging – sport protects the gray cells
Half an hour of endurance sports every day, e.g. B. Swimming or cycling not only protects the body from many diseases, but also the “control center”, the brain. The National Runner’s Health Study from the USA shows that every kilometer run every day can reduce the risk of a stroke by eleven percent. Statistically, you can literally run away from dementia. The researchers’ explanation: Memory loss is common in people with high blood pressure. And that’s exactly what everyone can reduce to healthy values with sport. In addition, exercise ensures that the gray cells remain fit into old age. So: Off to brain jogging!
Memory shapes our life
Our memory reshapes our ego every day
We are what we remember. It is not life that shapes our memory, say brain researchers, but memory shapes our life. However, your studies also show that we are often not even aware that we are remembering something. And only what touches us emotionally is saved at all, everything else is sorted out. The brain “creatively” fills in memory gaps. No wonder that z. B. Witnesses describe the same accident completely differently. Can I trust my ego at all? “Overall yes,” Prof. Spitzer reassured. “But a healthy mistrust is appropriate from time to time.”
“5 a day” keeps you mentally fit
Five servings of fruit or vegetables protect our cells with their antioxidants against harmful oxygen compounds (“free radicals”) – including the gray matter, according to a recent study by Prof. Cristina Polidori from the Ruhr University in Bochum. According to this, people who eat about 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day are mentally more efficient in tests than vitamin reluctant people who eat less than 100 grams a day. A result that does not surprise Prof. Spitzer: “Vitamins are extremely important for our brain. Unfortunately, there is something wrong with many people. Blueberries, broccoli or apples, for example, are good.” He also recommends eating sea fish regularly. “Because of its healthy omega-3 fatty acids,” says Prof. Spitzer. “You could say: They lubricate the whole machinery. One study found that prisoners who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids were more emotionally stable and less aggressive. Other studies show that healthy fats can protect against depression.” Can you eat smarter? “That has not yet been finally clarified,” says Prof. Spitzer. “But maybe you can do that too.”
The brain is curious
Riddles activate protective genes
The brain is extremely curious. Content it has never dealt with triggers fireworks between the neurons. So e.g. For example, not only does juggling increase brain mass, nerve cells are also rewired and spatial thinking is improved. “That doesn’t mean that everyone has to start juggling now,” says Prof. Spitzer. “Any way of getting the brain to work is a good thing.” The University of Heidelberg discovered that brain training activates a genetic protection program in brain cells – they live longer.
Reading this article…
Train & read on
- Recommended book: “Brain research for the curious” by Prof. Manfred Spitzer and Wulf Bertram, Schattauer-Verlag, 400 pages, 29.95 euros
…is a masterpiece of your brain. As your gaze flicks from left to right, the image of the text moves across your retina at almost 1000 degrees per second. If you panned a camera so quickly, you would only see stripes. So that you don’t feel this way, the brain deliberately lowers the activity of certain nerve cells before the eye movements begin. And not the same everywhere, but even to different degrees (Marburg University). Incredible, is not it?
