How the Brain Rebuilds

Episode 21: What success in mental health looks like on Functional MRI machine images of the brain. https://vimeo.com/1133014538?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci Download and Share the Ambassador Slides HANDOUT. Audio version: The "clean-up and repair" cells in the brain use Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor to repair and rebuild new nerve growth in the Central Nervous System. See Figure 1 below from an except from my first book with these images of what the hippocampus looks like before and after treatment. This area of the brain is like a muscle and can be strengthened with new nerve growth, something we were told wasn't possible when my Class of 2007 entered U.T. Houston Medical School. The Healer Protein: BDNF Excerpt, Combat PTSD in America: Toward a Permanent Solution (2016) How we Increase BDNF Several things increased human BDNF and most of them are lifestyle related. The area of your brain where this is most impactful is an area called the hippocampus. Unfortunately, this is your resilience center, responsible for coping with stress and incorporating new memories into your long-term memory. If you become overwhelmed with life, PTSD or develop clinical depression, you can lose so many neuron connections in the hippocampus that it will shrink. Here are some of the known ways to increase BDNF: Meditation & Stretching. Slowing down, taking time for yourself can help.1 Eating more fruit and vegetables. I recommend eating as close to an unprocessed, anti-inflammatory diet as possible (Books: Paleo Diet, Wheat Belly). Green tea. The caffeine content can be quite high so be careful.2 Resveratrol. Resveratrol is a plant polyphenolic compound.3  Weight lifting. Fatiguing muscles to the point they are tired with exercise is known to increase BDNF. It also causes the brain to release Growth Hormone at night which is associated with improved sleep.4 Talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy alone, without medications, has been shown to treat PTSD and increase BDNF levels.5 Antidepressant medications. Serotonin and Serotonin/Norepinephrine (adrenaline)-related antidepressant medications increase BDNF and are shown to improve PTSD, depression and anxiety.5 Social connection. Whether it’s work, school, church or volunteer service, establishing a routine with friendly, social interaction is also helpful.6 Prebiotics. Gut bacteria convert prebiotics into butyrate7, a substance that has been shown to increase BDNF.8 Magnesium.9  N-acetylcysteine.10 Taken as a supplement. The Ketogenic Diet.11 Dark chocolate.12 And more… (Special thanks to Jordan Fallis’ blog.) Buy the Book Notice the subtitle, "toward a permanent solution". A Mindshift Plan is the permanent solution. Lulu.com Print-on-Demand References 1.         Cahn BR, Goodman MS, Peterson CT, Maturi R, Mills PJ. Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:315. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315 2.         Gundimeda U, McNeill TH, Fan TK, et al. Green tea catechins potentiate the neuritogenic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: role of 67-kDa laminin receptor and hydrogen peroxide. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. Feb 28 2014;445(1):218-24. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.01.166 3.         Rahvar M, Nikseresht M, Shafiee SM, et al. Effect of Oral Resveratrol on the BDNF Gene Expression in the Hippocampus of the Rat Brain. Neurochemical Research. 2011/05/01 2011;36(5):761-765. doi:10.1007/s11064-010-0396-8 4.         Arazi H, Babaei P, Moghimi M, Asadi A. Acute effects of strength and endurance exercise on serum BDNF and IGF-1 levels in older men. BMC Geriatrics. 2021/01/13 2021;21(1):50. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01937-6 5.         Björkholm C, Monteggia LM. BDNF - a key transducer of antidepressant effects. Neuropharmacology. Mar 2016;102:72-9. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.10.034 6.         Salinas J, Beiser A, Himali JJ, et al. Associations between social relationship measures, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and risk of stroke and dementia. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). Jun 2017;3(2):229-237. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.03.001 7.         Savignac HM, Corona G, Mills H, et al. Prebiotic feeding elevates central brain derived neurotrophic factor, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunits and d-serine. Neurochemistry International. 2013/12/01/ 2013;63(8):756-764. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2013.10.006 8.         Kim HJ, Leeds P, Chuang DM. The HDAC inhibitor, sodium butyrate, stimulates neurogenesis in the ischemic brain. J Neurochem. Aug 2009;110(4):1226-40. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2009.06212.x 9.         Pochwat B, Sowa-Kucma M, Kotarska K, Misztak P, Nowak G, Szewczyk B. Antidepressant-like activity of magnesium in the olfactory bulbectomy model is associated with the AMPA/BDNF pathway. Psychopharmacology (Berl). Jan 2015;232(2):355-67. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3671-6 10.       Dean O, Giorlando F, Berk M. N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action. J Psychiatry Neurosci. Mar 2011;36(2):78-86. doi:10.1503/jpn.100057 11. Masino SA, Rho JM. Mechanisms of Ketogenic Diet Action. In: Noebels JL, Avoli M, Rogawski MA, Olsen RW, Delgado-Escueta AV, eds. Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies. National Center for Biotechnology Information (US) Copyright © 2012, Michael A Rogawski, Antonio V Delgado-Escueta, Jeffrey L Noebels, Massimo Avoli and Richard W Olsen.; 2012. 12.      Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO). "The power of cocoa polyphenols against neurodegenerative diseases." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 April 2013. .