The Neuro-Protective Lifestyle

Humans have two hippocampus’s— hippocampi really.
You know, like octopus and octopi, hippopotamus and hippopotami?

I know what you’re thinking, enough already. Like it or not, the word silliness will probably help you remember the fact that you have a hippocampus–or– it may drive you to the next blog.

Either way, having happy hippocampi (I can’t stop), are well worth the effort. You’ll see why in a moment. But first, where the heck is my hippocampus?

Seen from the side, the brain looks a little like a boxing glove (that is seen from the side also).
First, visualize the thumb region or “temporal lobes” (by utilizing your ever-ready parahippocampus). There, neatly tucked away, just medial to the temporal lobes (towards the midline of the body) lies the home of the hippocampus.

To continue the boxing glove analogy, the hippocampus takes the first hit in neurodegenerative memory-heavy disorders like Alzheimers.

That’s because the hippocampus has everything to do with forming new memories. Something that is not done well at all in Alzheimer’s. More specifically, declarative or factual memory and spatial or navigation memory is processed within the hippocampus. No new memories are formed and thus no real learning takes place without a happy hippocampus.

Now then, on to things that harass (I really can’t stop) your hippocampus:

lead exposure
sleep deprivation
“chronic stress”
vitamin A deficiency
environmental estrogens (this one is to be feared)
acute stress and “fear reactions”
13-cis retinoic acid (Accutane)
a diet high in hydrogenated fats and saturated fat generally
hypoxemia (decreased oxygen) due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), especially childhood obesity and OSA

Well the list goes on and on but the common denominator is excitotoxicity and neuronal death.

The good news is that there are a whole host of positives, to offset the negatives when it comes to long-term hippocampal health. Take for example, polyphenols, also known as proanthocyanadins. These are the “phytochemicals” or medicinal properties found in certain foods. The most commercially successful of course is resveratrol found predominantly in red wine. There are hundreds if not thousands of polyphenols found in a variety of foods. The trick is to keep a running list in your head and avail yourself of them frequently.

More specifically, the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol include its ability to prevent ß-amyloid induced neurotoxicity. ß-amyloid you’ll remember is the major component of the neurofibrillary tangles found primarily in Alzheimer’s disease. Generally speaking, any “miss-folded” protein in the human body spells disaster. In fact, aging, when reduced to its simplest biochemical basis, is nothing more than a series of misguided and misfolded proteins.
Makes you want to start all over and do it right this time doesn’t it?

Don’t despair. Stay tuned for a grand elaboration of the way polyphenols correct for “inflammation over-load”, neuro and otherwise!

Kerry D. Friesen, M.D.

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