hippocampus – My Karma Wheel

January 1, 2014

Serotonin from Niacin?

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter in the brain that helps you to relax and aids in restful, deep-REM sleep so essential to keeping your brain in good working order for massive coding check projects : ) .

If you’re not a nerd who engages in massive coding check projects, serotonin still helps you feel relaxed, confident, and calmly happy.

The amino acid L-Tryptophan (and its cheaper precursor, 5-HTP) do this quite well.

But there may be an even cheaper alternative: Vitamin B3 (niacin). IF you can handle the heat of its well known side effect, skin flushing.

Niacin has been shown to effectively lower cholesterol levels, but it seems to have the terrific additional benefit of raising serotonin levels in the brain.

Dr. Abram Hoffer did some well-known studies showing niacin’s amazing benefits for schizophrenic patients. Looks like it is highly beneficial for the rest of us–

Brain Boosting Power of Exercise

Here’s yet another article detailing the brain-building power of exercise, from Prevention Magazine.

“When sedentary adults in one study jogged for half an hour 2 or 3 times a week for 12 weeks, their memory and ability to juggle tasks improved by 30 percent. Just as important: Inactivity stops this process. When the participants returned to their couch potato ways, they lost 10 percent of the gain after 6 weeks.”

Next time you’re asked why you bother to exercise, tell them you’re building your Hippocampus. Believe me, 98% will think it’s a new muscle group:

“A 2007 study found that exercisers who did two 3-minute sprints memorized new words 20 percent faster afterward than those who skipped the workout. Cardio exercise increases blood flow, triggering growth in the area of the hippocampus responsible for memory and verbal learning, research shows. The proliferation of new brain cells may actually be linked to a bigger brain. In a University of Pittsburgh study, the most aerobically fit had an average 7 percent larger hippocampus size than their sofa-sitting peers did.”

Motivation! Now get back on the treadmill. Now.

Read the complete article, along with its 7-day plan called the “ultimate brainpower workout” here on MSNBC. Work That Hippocampus, People!

December 6, 2013

A Father’s Love

Here’s a great story from the New York Times.

Dr. Alberto Costa, once a neuroscientist in Houston, altered the course of his research when his daughter, Tyche, was born. He’s searching for a drug that can help improve the rate of hippocampal development in people with Down’s Syndrome.

His studies have broad implications for everyone, regarding memory improvement and boosting mental performance.

Click here for this fascinating read!