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More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? We know that there is lots of redundant networks and plasticity, so if one cell goes down do

More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? We know that there is lots of redundant networks and plasticity, so if one cell goes down does it matter whether the gap gets filled by and old vs. new cell? With 100 billion neurons we seem fine with what we have. The bigger question seems to be how to protect these 100 billion cells from degenerating.

nine_k 8y ago
Frankly, we have a rather vague idea whether the networks are redundant, and how well spare capacity can be reused to amend a problem in another part of the brain. Having a known ability to rebuild neural pathways would be important.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  Mind you, this book is 10+ years old but that's not exactly the impression I got from it. That is, the brain __is plastic__ and __does__ have a high capacity for "re-configuring" itself. The story of the woman who was born with only one hemisphere of here brain comes to mind. There are other examples as well in the book. "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science" https://www.amazon.com/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/dp/0143113100 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/d...
chiefalchemist 8y ago
I would say that the research is often driven by the market-worthiness of any solutions that might result from the research. Prevention, as you mention, is a market. Repair, is also a market. Of course there are other factors.
haZard_OS 8y ago
>More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? That is a relative question. I imagine it really does matter to a variety of researchers in various fields. At the very least, it matters to those involved in so-called basic research.
bsder 8y ago
> More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? Yes, on a lot of fronts, but strokes, in particular, would be a lot easier to fix if the brain could renew itself. Fixing brain problems becomes much harder if the brain never regenerates. > With 100 billion neurons we seem fine with what we have. The bigger question seems to be how to protect these 100 billion cells from degenerating. Maybe. But we also know that those who age well seem to recruit cells from a different layer of the brain as they age. This would seem to indicate that the brain is having to "make do" for some reason which we do not understand. In addition, what is "part of the brain"? Are the optic nerve or your olfactory nerve part of the brain? What about your spinal column? The computer scientist in me says "Of course" given how strongly linked they are with the processing.
deleted 8y ago
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nine_k 8y ago

Frankly, we have a rather vague idea whether the networks are redundant, and how well spare capacity can be reused to amend a problem in another part of the brain. Having a known ability to rebuild neural pathways would be important.

chiefalchemist 8y ago
Mind you, this book is 10+ years old but that's not exactly the impression I got from it. That is, the brain __is plastic__ and __does__ have a high capacity for "re-configuring" itself. The story of the woman who was born with only one hemisphere of here brain comes to mind. There are other examples as well in the book. "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science" https://www.amazon.com/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/dp/0143113100 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/d...

chiefalchemist 8y ago

I would say that the research is often driven by the market-worthiness of any solutions that might result from the research. Prevention, as you mention, is a market. Repair, is also a market. Of course there are other factors.

haZard_OS 8y ago

>More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? That is a relative question. I imagine it really does matter to a variety of researchers in various fields. At the very least, it matters to those involved in so-called basic research.

bsder 8y ago

> More relevant: Does it matter if human brains renew their neurons? Yes, on a lot of fronts, but strokes, in particular, would be a lot easier to fix if the brain could renew itself. Fixing brain problems becomes much harder if the brain never regenerates. > With 100 billion neurons we seem fine with what we have. The bigger question seems to be how to protect these 100 billion cells from degenerating. Maybe. But we also know that those who age well seem to recruit cells from a different layer of the brain as they age. This would seem to indicate that the brain is having to "make do" for some reason which we do not understand. In addition, what is "part of the brain"? Are the optic nerve or your olfactory nerve part of the brain? What about your spinal column? The computer scientist in me says "Of course" given how strongly linked they are with the processing.

deleted 8y ago

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