You stopped at last time.
The story in four panels
BDNF, what are you?
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1The problem
A plate with meat, an egg, and greens, with a fork and knife Holiday bulk-up…
When stress and binge eating go on, both body and mind grow heavy.
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2How it works
A sprout growing from the top of a brain I'm BDNF
BDNF is a neurotrophic factor that grows nerve cells and supports learning and memory.
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3What to do
A person running lightly with motion lines Let's move moderately
Moderate exercise and healthy food raise BDNF.
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4The change
A brain with an even wave and a slowly beating heart Failure is the default!
BDNF raises resilience, helping you get back up when you fall.
You may have read that intermittent fasting increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and plays a positive role in improving cognitive function.
“Oh, really! Then if I just raise BDNF, it’ll have a good effect on neuroplasticity and keep my brain working well, right?” That’s what I thought. But the more I studied, the more I realized that while BDNF is indeed a necessary and important gene for us, it’s one worth studying properly. So let’s take some time to learn what BDNF is and what role it plays in our bodies, and to find the right ways to improve our brain function.
Contents
- What is BDNF?
- What BDNF does
- How to raise BDNF
1. What is BDNF?
1) BDNF is a gene that regulates stress-driven binge eating
The BDNF gene acts in the pituitary gland, which oversees the release of hormones, and BDNF and its receptor (TrkB) are widely distributed in the energy-balance centers of the hypothalamus and the hindbrain. The place in the hypothalamus with the most BDNF is the VMH (ventromedial hypothalamus, where many neurons important for regulating food intake are gathered).
BDNF is also expressed in other areas involved in appetite regulation, such as the DMH (dorsomedial hypothalamus), the PVN (paraventricular nucleus) and the LH (lateral hypothalamic area). Low BDNF release related to appetite regulation increases stress-driven binge eating, in which stress triggers depression and anxiety. Because it’s affected by emotional sensitivity, it has the characteristic of triggering binge eating when you’re in certain states of stress.
BDNF also plays an important role in regulating the development of sensory pathways within the vagus nerve, which runs from the brainstem to the gut, sending sensory information from the digestive tract to the brain and to the stomach muscles when you eat.
(Medical Today, Wellbeing, “Strengthening the nerve pathway from gut to brain ‘can reduce how much you eat,’” August 5, 2014)
2) BDNF is one of the neurotrophins, a family of nervous-system growth factors
According to a study published on September 26, 2003, in the journal Neuroscience, BDNF increases the strength of synapses in the brain (Neuroscience, volume 121, issue 1, pages 1–252, September 2003). It also helps nerves regenerate and acts on nerve cells in both the central and peripheral nervous systems (paper: “Sulforaphane epigenetically enhances neuronal BDNF expression and TrkB signaling pathways”).
So BDNF has long been known to maintain the survival of nerve cells and to affect their differentiation and plasticity, but recently it has emerged as an essential member of the neural circuits involved in energy homeostasis.
Source: [BRIC Bio Correspondent] “BDNF mediates obesity caused by overeating”
2. What does BDNF do?
1) It’s involved in learning and memory, and is important for improving cognitive function
BDNF acts on the hippocampus, which handles memory and learning, the temporal lobe, which understands language, and the frontal lobe, which handles cognition, calculation and decision-making, creating new nerve cells and tightening their connections. BDNF isn’t produced and released only in the brain; it’s also produced in muscles, where it functions in relation to anti-inflammatory and immune responses.
2) It raises resilience
These days we feel a lot of fear when we try something new and fail. But people with resilience aren’t afraid of failure; they push ahead with the mindset that “failure is the default, success is a bonus.” In other words, resilience isn’t an obsession with success but a mindset that fears no failure. People with a genetic variant that directs BDNF to be expressed at high levels have very sturdy brains and a large hippocampus, so they easily create and store new memories and build new frameworks of thinking.
3. How to raise BDNF
Exercise not only makes our brains happy but also makes us smarter. Exercise builds networks connecting old nerve cells and supplies blood and nutrients to brain cells. In particular, BDNF, a neurotrophic substance produced in the brain the more we exercise, improves intellectual ability.
From Resilience (Kim Joo-hwan)
Resilience is defined as the ability to maintain a healthy outlook on life despite having experienced adversity.
The Science of Fate, p. 265
1) Moderate exercise creates new brain cells in the hippocampus
2) Eat healthy food
3) Get 10 to 20 minutes of sunlight every day, which is even better than taking vitamin D
4) Enjoy fun foods you love
5) Strengthen your social relationships
Lonely people have a very high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (Wilson et al. 2007a), which suggests that social interaction can delay the onset of disease.
Next time, we’ll look at the problems that appear when BDNF is weak and the things that get in the way of BDNF release.
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