There are billions of brain cells (neurons) in your brain forming a highly complicated neural network. This very moment millions of brain cells in your brain are sending messages to one another by causing electrical firings and producing thoughts, emotions and feelings.

The number of neurons in our brain increases from childhood until we reach adolescence. By that time our brain is ready to decide on the final set of brain cells it will keep throughout our life as an adult. Your brain will leave more room for expansion of the type of cells you use the most. These frequently used neurons will grow as time goes by forming new branches and expanding the neural network. The brain cells you don’t use will be pruned.

But the question is how our brain selects what neurons to keep?

Scientists claim that our brain cells have the ability to self-destruct. How often do you use a specific type of brain cells, is determined by the blood flow in our brain. Different areas of the brain, different blood flow. If the blood flow is high that means those areas of the brain are frequently used. Now, the brain has this chief-enzyme called Calpain. Calpain is an enzyme which helps determine which cells should self-destruct. Calpain can be spotted in those low-traffic areas with little blood flow.

Other types of enzymes and proteins are produced in the high traffic areas of our brain where blood flow is increased. These proteins form branches and connections between well/frequently used brain cells. Its the proteins’ responsibility to further develop and protect the neural network by creating new connections/branches between brain cells.

Brain Activity Increases During Sleep

It is believed that the majority of work done by neurons to expand the neural network takes place while we sleep. This explains why sleep is so important for us humans. Our physical and mental performance is strongly affected by the amount of sleep we get. Especially during periods when we learn new things and expect from our brain to absorb and store new information. In order for our brain to form new neural branches storing the new information we need to sleep and give our brain time to work.

I bet you’ve heard the phrase “..If you want to learn something new then sleep on it..”

It’s true. When we try hard to learn something new, we also need significant amount of sleep in order to own the information and store it in a long-term, complex network of new neural branches.

Brain tumor is can be either gentle or evil kind of its kind. It is an uncontrolled and irregular activity of cell that common occurs in the brain, cranial nerves, pineal glands brain envelopes and even metastasize in other organ.

Just like any other form of cancers, brain tumor can spread and propagate to any other parts of the body. Even before the brain tumor proliferates, or metastasize as a medical doctor or an oncologist would say it, the tumor could cause disorder in the brain.

Symptoms

The symptoms of a brain tumor can easily be mistaken for any number of diseases. Early detection is your best chance for survival.

Headaches are the most common initial symptom. Generally, brain tumor headaches start out the worse in the morning, getting better as the day continues. You may experience problems with memory, especially short term memory, speech, communication or have concentration issues. Mass effect is caused by the increased pressure of the tumor. It swells the brain, causing it to build up a soft liquid. More specific focal symptoms also occur and can often be used to identify the location of the brain tumor. These include hearing ringing or buzzing sounds or complete hearing loss, decreased muscular control and lack of coordination.

Diagnosis

Angiogram – a particular dye is injected to the bloodstream and runs in the blood vessels inside the brain in order for them to appear on x-ray. If a growth is present, it can be seen by the doctor.

Skull x-ray – various forms of brain cancers cause calcium growth inside the brain or changes on the bones in the skull. Through x-ray, changes can be checked.

Biopsy – it is the removal of sample of tissue to search for cancer cells. The pathologist examines the cells under the microscope in order to verify abnormal cells.

Treatment

Brain tumor treatment usually includes radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. But the treatment will vary depending on various factors involve such as the tumor’s size, type, location and the over-all health condition and age of the patient. The program and treatment process for adults and children usually varies. Radiotherapy or radiation therapy or even sometimes called as radiation oncology is a treatment for brain tumor. Damage brain cells are being stop from increasing by the use of radiation.

Copyright (c) 2008 SharpBrains

The American Medical News, a weekly newspaper for physicians published by the American Medical Association, just published an excellent article on the importance of Exercise – Physical and Mental:

A few quotes from the article titled “Steps to a nimble mind: Physical and mental exercise help keep the brain fit”:

“Until recently, conventional wisdom held that our brains were intractable, hard-wired computers. What we were born with was all we got. Age wore down memory and the ability to understand, and few interventions could reverse this process. But increasingly, evidence suggests that physical and mental exercise can alter specific brain regions, making radical improvements in cognitive function.”

and

“With nearly 72 million Americans turning 65 over the next two decades, physicians need the tools to handle growing patient concerns about how to best maintain brain health. Armed with this new brand of science, frontline physicians will be better equipped to address the needs of aging baby boomers, already in the throes of the brain fitness revolution.

One of the physicians quoted in the article is Gary J. Kennedy, MD, Director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in NYC and a professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

To put the AMA article in better perspective, we asked Dr. Kennedy a few follow-up questions. Below you have his questions.

Alvaro Fernandez (AF): Can you summarize how cognitive functions tend to evolve as we age?

Gary Kennedy (GK): As we age cognitive functions that rely on processing speed or reaction time decline, slow down. Problem solving speed declines. This is in part the result of frayed neuronal insulation as the myelin sheath surrounding the axons wears thin with advanced age or illness. However it is possible to specialize and optimize some cognitive processes through experience, practice and planning. For example vocabulary can increase to age 90 provided there is ongoing stimulation and motivation to learn. And the growth and development of new brain cells can be augmented with the stimulating effects of physical exercise.

AF: Now, there are very significant cognitive differences among individuals of the same age, so age itself is not the main predictor. Can you explain what may be?

GK: Age also has the effect of amplifying differences between individuals. This is the result of variability in aging itself, freedom from or accumulation of illnesses and injury, and life style. The influence of genetics is largely exhausted by the 6 and 7th decades of life which means that habitual activities and social relationships have a larger and larger impact resulting in greater and greater variability between individuals.

AF: Can you please explain the relationship between cognitive and emotional health (what we typically call “brain fitness”)

GK: Cognitive health requires motivation to sustain it and motivation depends on emotion and social reinforcement. Emotional self-regulation is not simply self control. Rather it is the capacity to respond to an emotional stress without prolonged loss of equilibrium. And it is the capacity to modify emotional reactions to resonate with others in the environment. Thought and feeling when linked together can be a powerful stimulus for learning, both for better and for worse. A positive outlook with an active response style is more protective than a tendency toward negativism and withdrawal.

AF: What advice would you give to people who want to maintain their brain in top shape?

GK: Simply finding a partner for regular physical activity is one of the best prescriptions for improving brain function. Staying emotionally, intellectually and socially engaged is also good advice. And the more the better. The brain is a muscle – use it or lose it.

AF: And what advice would you give to doctors and health professionals on how to help their patients?

GK: Doctors and all health professionals need to know how to motivate their patients to make the changes in life style that will promote healthy aging. Small, meaningful changes are relatively easy to achieve if the professional simply asks. Two straightforward examples: “how often do you enjoy an alcoholic beverage?” and “how often do you get a half hour of physical activity, walking or exercising?” can help the older person to minimize alcohol and maximize exercise. Brief interventions work surprisingly well.

AF: Thank you very mmuch for your time and advice.

GK: You are welcome.