adult hippocampal neurogenesis and mental health

Swandattur

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Growing new neurons should mostly be a good thing. SSRIs may be harmful in some ways, but they do work to some degree, and maybe that would be explain it.
 

HDD

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Even the liver and adrenal gland are now known to be continuously renewed by "cell streaming," though at a slower rate than the skin, conjunctiva, and intestine. Neurogenesis in the brain is now not only widely accepted, it is even proposed as a mechanism to explain the therapeutic effects of antidepressants (Santarelli, et al., 2003).
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/stemcells.shtml
 

HDD

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From the same article -

"Darkness suppresses mitochondrial function, and light activates it. Prolonged darkness increases cortisol, and cortisol (which makes cells more susceptible to excitotoxic death) inhibits stem cell proliferation (Li, et al., 2006; Liu, et al., 2003). Neurogenesis is suppressed by stress, and increased by spontaneous activity, and has a circadian rhythm. Aging and depression both involve a diminished ability to rhythmically lower the production of cortisol. Cell renewal requires a rhythmic decrease in the exposure to cortisol..

In the spring, with increased day length, the brains of song-birds grow, with an increased proliferation of cells in the part of the brain involved in singing. The production of progesterone increases in most animals in the spring, and it is the main hormone responsible for the birds' brain growth."
 

Swandattur

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Thanks for posting that. The interrelationship between cortisol and stress and suppression of neurogenesis clarifies things more for me. Lack of sleep, maybe because it's a stressor does the same thing I guess. So, either lack of neurogenesis causes depression or it just goes along with depression.
 

HDD

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These are his final thoughts in the article-

"Choosing the right foods, the right atmosphere, the right mental and physical activities, and finding the optimal rhythms of light, darkness, and activity, can begin to alter the streaming renewal of cells in all the organs. Designing a more perfect environment is going to be much simpler than the schemes of the genetic engineers."
 

Swandattur

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Wow, I really like that! Such a simple, natural concept. All this genetic engineering begins to seem on the ridiculous side. Evidently, everybody has lots of these' 'bad' genes that need to be modified. It's like we all need to be remade like genetically engineered plants! Ray Peat's idea seems so elegantly doable.
 

HDD

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Swandattur said:
Thanks for posting that. The interrelationship between cortisol and stress and suppression of neurogenesis clarifies things more for me. Lack of sleep, maybe because it's a stressor does the same thing I guess. So, either lack of neurogenesis causes depression or it just goes along with depression.


I have been thinking about depression quite a bit and it being a symptom of hypothyroidism. There was a thread a while back about depression and it brought back the memory of when I had what I call "black cloud" depression. I would wake up and the way I felt and thought made me think of a black cloud over my head. I was going through menopause at the time. I remember asking someone if it was physical, hormonal, emotional, or spiritual. She answered it could be all. Going to sleep and struggling with depressing thoughts was a battle.

It has been quite some time since I had that type of depression. The other depression being something that is just there but not realizing it because I didn't know what it was like to feel really happy. My son's friend had asked my son if I was depressed. I was offended. Of course, I am not depressed was my quick response. Then, one afternoon, this past year, I had such a feeling of happiness. This has happened several times, but it was an aha moment. I thought it was my temperature and pulse being up, which is part of it. I have done the shotgun approach to supplementing so figuring out what made me feel so good is not easy.

Since it is a common symptom of hypothyroidism, having physical/hormonal roots,we should be able to overcome depression by applying the things that we are learning from Peat. This is my hope.
 

Swandattur

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Yes, I'm hoping for healing from depression. I've had serious major depression before, but it's not that bad now. I know what you mean about not realizing you are depressed. I sometimes know I am depressed, because it's that bad, but other times I think I'm okay. However, when I finally really feel right, I realize the difference between 'okay' and 'right.' I feel stronger and able to deal with things. It feels as if my perspective is in the right place, and my body and mind are hitting on all cylinders. It seems like this should be the normal state for everyone, and moments of sheer happiness should be fairly frequent.
 

4peatssake

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Cheers!

el-taco-atlanta-4.jpg
 

mandance

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Depression seems pretty common in this toxic society. The further we go from a life loving culture, to a machine loving Necro culture...its not a surprise there is much more mental breakdown, sadism, depresson, anxiety etc. Ive always felt unnatural trying to fit into this society, and into the rat race. Its so odd and makes no sense. American logic is basically --- buy 30k car to drive to work, drive and go to work to pay for 30k car.
 

Swandattur

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It does seem like we need new more environmentally friendly and just life friendly values. In the late 60s and 70's there was the impression that we would be working toward something like this, but a lot of that got derailed somewhere along the line. Guess the 80s happened. Many people, though, do want to make things better.
 

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