Posted by llrrrpp on August 13, 2006, at 8:41:24
In reply to Re: Is Kramer right?, posted by laima on August 12, 2006, at 17:01:42
> Just wanted to add, didn't they just recently discover that adults do indeed grow new brain cells? They used to think that a person had only so many brain cells, and that was it.
yep, recently it has been discovered that adults add new brain cells to the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory processes, learning spatial directions and regulating long term stress. There are many theories of depression that cite the possible role of the hippocampus in the symptoms and perhaps the cause of depression. People under chronic stress often have a somewhat atrophied hippocampus. Also, it's thought that the SSRI's may induce a change in neural plasticity within the hippocampus (possibly even by adding new neurons to the hippocampus), which might explain why they take weeks to kick in.
-ll
poster:llrrrpp
thread:675829
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060810/msgs/675996.html