Neurogenesis

New brain cells are constantly being created inside your brain. 

New neurons form the same way they have been since you were in utero. They send branches of radial glia out like spider webs, and then creep along those trajectories until they reach their desired location, reaching out to form new and more complex neural circuits, utilising the same innate wisdom all your cells used to divide and differentiate into the wonderous organism that you are today.

Into old age, people can learn new languages, acquire new skills, develop fine motor control, and what is most special is that new neurons can connect with axons that project into the Heart, enabling us to feel love and excitement for everything we do and every person we meet.

Certain food can even accelerate Neurogenesis (Martínez-Mármol et al., 2023).

Neurogenesis is different from Neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the changing or rewiring of existing neural circuits to maintain a function that may have been lost due to injury. 

Neurogenesis is the biological mechanism that enables us to continually grow, to learn, to evolve within an ever-changing world. 

Yes, the trajectories for future neuron growth might already be set by genetics, but that does not mean we need to live trapped inside some pre-set mould. There is no reason we cannot set our intentions and train our Mind to develop in a certain direction, and allow our brain to expand into the kind of person we wish to become.

Every day while we interact with our world, our brain strengthens the neural connections that we use most frequently. Every night when we sleep, our brain prunes the synaptic connections that we no longer need.

What we do defines who we become.

The way we dream is unlikely to be irrelevant in this process. It is important to always act with kindness and integrity, whether in daily life or in our dream world.

The human brain is magnificent and mysterious, and the wonderful part is that its entire tendency is to ensure your body's survival and your Mind's development to comprehend a more expansive and intricate environment.

Discover more ways to enhance your brain's ability to create new neurons.

References:

 Martínez-Mármol, R., Chai, Y., Conroy, J. N., Khan, Z., Hong, S. M., Kim, S. B., Gormal, R. S., Lee, D. H., Lee, J. K., Coulson, E. J., Lee, M. K., Kim, S. Y., & Meunier, F. A. (2023). Hericerin derivatives activates a pan-neurotrophic pathway in central hippocampal neurons converging to ERK1/2 signaling enhancing spatial memory. Journal of neurochemistry, 10.1111/jnc.15767. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15767 

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