Brain Health Lessons From Rats

Researchers have found that while mature rats grow new neurons in their brains, the new cells die off quickly -- unless the rats were mentally active.

Researchers led by Dr. Tracy Shors of Rutgers reported to the Society for Neuroscience that rats that learned new, difficult tasks had more new neurons than those trained to do new, simple ones. And both were better off that rats placed in an unstimulating environment, who had no surviving new neurons.

The new cells appear primarily in the hippocampus, which plays a role in the formation of new memories.

The discovery that brain cells grow in mature brains is relatively recent. The previous accepted wisdom was that one's endowment of brain cells started to die off in adulthood, and it was downhill from there. Schors' research adds to the body of evidence showing that the brain is a pliable organ. Properly maintained, it can remain healthy well into old age.

It will be interesting to learn whether neuron retention is most aided by undertaking difficult tasks, or new ones. In other words, is it better to do a difficult crossword puzzle every day -- or learn something new?

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H/t: The Economist ($$$)