New studies show how our brain is getting bigger and bigger
A recent one studio led by a international team of researchers discovered something that may surprise many: the human brain is recently growing in size. According to the results, i born in the 70s show nearly 15% more brain surface area and 6.6% more volume than their born counterparts in the 1930s.
Bigger and bigger brain, but why?
The question that inevitably arises is: does this increase in brain size translate into asuperior intelligence? It would be nice to think so, and perhaps those of you with higher self-esteem have already answered in the affirmative, but the scientists they are cautious in draw hasty conclusions although they are optimistic that this growth will contribute to prevent dementia and other age-related diseases.
L’expansion of some specifications brain areasparticularly those associated with memory and learning, could indicate development and improved brain health over time. There is evidence to suggest that a bigger brain can act as one sort of reserve during the course of life, offering a additional protection against age-related diseases such asAlzheimer.
Unfortunately, the total number of people affected by Alzheimer’s seems to be on the rise, but a study published in 2016 in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that the rate of new cases is declining decade by decade. This could suggest that although the increase in brain size is not linked to purely intellectual issues, there may at least be some sort of additional protection against cognitive diseases related to ageing.
A protection for old age
Maybe ours grande brain won’t improve our math scores or make us feel like misunderstood geniuses, but we hope at least that it can play an important role in protection from mental illness associated with aging. This research makes us reflect on how much we still have to learn about understanding the human brain, and how this is important in understanding the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.