Reply to comment

I think you’re totally right about our bodies not being built to last. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO SURVIVE. No joke. It’s my opinion that we certainly can strengthen our neurons, or at least the way they work together to affect our behavior and conscious (responding to Katherine). One of the most famous studies on cognition and memory loss was done by McArthur. He tracked a group of people from there middle ages to there 70-80. He found that part of the group still ranked in the top third of the population in there age group. These people kept both physically active and mentally active by doing crossword puzzles, reading and playing bridge (at least 3 times a week!!!!). They worked out there brains and it paid off. Another study showed that people that did a leisurely activity were 63 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia (June 19, 2003, New England Journal of Medicine). This is where the phrase ‘use it or loose it’ comes from. It is entirely true in the brain. As reported in the January 22, 2004 Nature, 23 healthy people, learned how to juggle. After three months, MRI scans showed enlargement of the gray matter in their brains—the part responsible for higher mental functions. Either existing cells had grown denser, more numerous connections, or the sheer number of brain cells had increased. When the study participants stopped juggling, their brains shrunk again. So while it is not possible to fight evolution, it IS possible to maximize what we gots.