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Adult Neurogenesis

 Neurogenesis occurs in two main areas in the adult brain: the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. The transformation of a new cell into a neuron appears to crucially involve a specific protein called WnT3, which's released by support cells called astrocytes. A chemical called BDNF also appears critical for the transformation into neurons. Most recently, T-cells have also been revealed as important for neurogenesis to occur. The extent and speed of neurogenesis can also be enhanced by various chemicals. Nerve growth factors appear to enhance the proliferation of precursor cells (cells with the potential to become neurons), and the prion protein that, damaged, causes mad cow disease, appears in its normal state to speed the rate of neurogenesis. The integration of the new neuron into existing networks appears to need a brain chemical called GABA. Indications are that moderate alcohol may enhance neurogenesis, but excess alcohol certainly has a negative effect. Most illegal drugs hav
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How Do Muscles Grow? The Science of Muscle Growth

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If you’re a guy in the gym working with weights, not only are you probably trying to lose some fat, but also gain some muscle. This article discusses the mechanisms of how muscles grow, plus why most women won’t gain large amounts of muscle when working with weights. Although there are different types of muscles, such as cardiac muscle (your heart), for our concerns, we will talk exclusively about skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscle is composed of thread-like myofibrils and sarcomeres that form a muscle fiber and are the basic units of contraction. The 650 skeletal muscles in the human body contract when they receive signals from motor neurons, which are triggered from a part of the cell called the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Motor neurons tell your muscles to contract and the better you become at having those signals tell your muscles to contract, the stronger you can get. When someone like a powerlifter is able to lift very heavy weight despite not looking very muscular, it’s due
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Scientific Health Benefits of the “Panacea” Black Cumin Seed (Nigella sativa)

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Introduction Nigella sativa , commonly known as Black Cumin, Black Seed, or Black Cumin Seed is native to South Asia ( R ). Black Cumin seed has been used in Middle Eastern folk medicine as a natural remedy for various diseases for over 2000 years ( R ). “Use Black seed regularly, since it is a cure for every disease except death” (Prophet Muhammad) ( R ) , and its many uses have earned Black Cumin the Arabic approbation “ The Blessed Seed “ ( R ). Raw seeds, seed oil, or seed extract have been used alone or in combination with other ingredients, as a traditional medicine in the treatment of various health conditions, such as eczema, cough, headache, diabetes, asthma, infection, and hypertension ( R ). Due to its miraculous power of healing, Black Cumin has got the place among the top-ranked evidence-based herbal medicines ( R ). Most of the therapeutic properties of Black Cumin seed are due to the presence of  Thymoquinone  which is a major bioactive component (30%-48
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