“The growth and development of
Nervous tissue”
 Used to be thought that it only occurred
in youth
 Recent evidence strongly suggests it
does occur in adults as well

„I please‟
 Simulated/medically ineffectual
treatment for a disease or other medical
condition intended to deceive the
recipient

Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor
 First isolated – Pig
brains, 1982 (Barde et
al.)
 Similar to Nerve
growth factor

1998 – running increases BDNF levels in
the hippocampus of mice
 1999 – mice running increases cell
proliferation in part of hippocampus

In Humans:
 2010 (Kramer et al.)– Aerobic exercise
increases hippocampal volume by
about 2% in 1-2 years





Help memory formation of how food was hunted or
predators were escaped
And/or
Cell proliferation – uses lots of energy; Promise of
energy replacement from food
Associated with Long-term
Potentiation (a mechanism for
memory formation)
Offset
 Neurodegenerative
 diseases!



NEUROGENESIS COUNTERS
NEURODEGENERATION!

Neurogenesis and Neurodegenerative diseases