Lot's of sites that deal with tinnitus information, such as "do's and don't's", often posit that one should exercise and do other things that promote neurogenesis (a process by which new neurons are created) and neuroplasticity (in which existing neurons extend their dendrites to make new neural connections to compensate for loss of gray matter or cell death). In contrast, these sites recommend avoiding things that inhibit and harm both processes.
However, I am here to shed some light on why this advice is not all its cracked up to be, and why promoting these two things is in some cases not helpful, AND harmful.
The brain has two types of cell tissues: white matter and gray matter. Gray matter refers to the physical neurons that populate the brain. Individual cells that work together in various cortical and subcortical areas. Humans gradually lose gray matter with age, and will cell death come denretic extension through neuroplasticity. These dendrites and axons make up white matter, which are simply connections between living cells in the brain. Cell death causes gray matter loss, leading to an increase in connectivity (or white matter) to try and compensate. It's your brain's way of trying (and not always succeeding) to do more with less.
In general, loss of gray matter and increase in connectivity is not a good thing. The brain in tinnitus patients has been shown to undergo gray matter loss in various areas of the brain. I will note that gray matter loss doesn't always equate cell death, as some neurons may simply be re-purposed to another area. In some patients, gray matter increases have been observed in areas like the thalamus. Research has been fairly inconsistent as far as structural change in gray and white matter are concerned, but we do seem to lose gray matter and possibly gain white matter.
As positive as this may seem, here is the kicker: neuroplasticity is increasingly thought to be the culprit behind the generation and proliferation of the tinnitus signal. The brain dislikes having a gap in hearing induced my peripheral cochlear lesions, so it tries to compensate by reducing gray matter and increasing white matter to prevent gray matter loss in the Primary Auditory Cortex. As we can see, these changes become more dense and solidified over time. Thus, it is my opinion that NMDA receptor antagonists, which the brain desperately relies on for neuroplasticity, should be inhibited and blocked so the brain CANNOT make the changes it needs.
Finally is neurogenesis. It is often the case that people promote antidepressant use and exercise as promoting neurogenesis, the growth of new neurons in the adult brain. I'm here to tell you that really isn't something that occurs in adult humans. Humans are born with the maximum number of neurons you will ever have. Shortly after birth, once your neurons have been forged and migrated to where they need to be, a massive cell death (known as apoptosis) occurs. From there on out, neurogensis does not occur in 99% of the brain, meaning most gray matter loss and cell death is permanent.
Neurogensis is thought to occur in humans in two areas of the brain. The first is the Olfactory Bulb, our smell center. The second is the hippocampus, a structure crucial for memory formation, emotional regulation, and and many other vital functions. The alleged neurogensis of the hippocampus is overstated. I read a paper from this year that postulates that neurogenesis does not actually occur at all in humans. Their studied samples were not the best, so I will assume that is wrong. Even still, NG only occurs in the Dentate Gyrus of the hippocampus, whose new cell replication is limited throughout the lifespan and whose new neurons have very limited migration ability.
This means, as stated, that 99% of all cell death in the brain is permanent. If you lose cells in your Broca's Area, those are never coming back. So, do not rely on antidepressants, exercise, or anything else for that matter to have NG or NP be your savior. They may help, but NP creates tinnitus in the first place, so it should be inhibited to force the brain to live with an imbalance. And finally, NG is very limited beyond infancy and is not going to help you recover 99% of cells you lose from stress, anxiety, or depression.
However, I am here to shed some light on why this advice is not all its cracked up to be, and why promoting these two things is in some cases not helpful, AND harmful.
The brain has two types of cell tissues: white matter and gray matter. Gray matter refers to the physical neurons that populate the brain. Individual cells that work together in various cortical and subcortical areas. Humans gradually lose gray matter with age, and will cell death come denretic extension through neuroplasticity. These dendrites and axons make up white matter, which are simply connections between living cells in the brain. Cell death causes gray matter loss, leading to an increase in connectivity (or white matter) to try and compensate. It's your brain's way of trying (and not always succeeding) to do more with less.
In general, loss of gray matter and increase in connectivity is not a good thing. The brain in tinnitus patients has been shown to undergo gray matter loss in various areas of the brain. I will note that gray matter loss doesn't always equate cell death, as some neurons may simply be re-purposed to another area. In some patients, gray matter increases have been observed in areas like the thalamus. Research has been fairly inconsistent as far as structural change in gray and white matter are concerned, but we do seem to lose gray matter and possibly gain white matter.
As positive as this may seem, here is the kicker: neuroplasticity is increasingly thought to be the culprit behind the generation and proliferation of the tinnitus signal. The brain dislikes having a gap in hearing induced my peripheral cochlear lesions, so it tries to compensate by reducing gray matter and increasing white matter to prevent gray matter loss in the Primary Auditory Cortex. As we can see, these changes become more dense and solidified over time. Thus, it is my opinion that NMDA receptor antagonists, which the brain desperately relies on for neuroplasticity, should be inhibited and blocked so the brain CANNOT make the changes it needs.
Finally is neurogenesis. It is often the case that people promote antidepressant use and exercise as promoting neurogenesis, the growth of new neurons in the adult brain. I'm here to tell you that really isn't something that occurs in adult humans. Humans are born with the maximum number of neurons you will ever have. Shortly after birth, once your neurons have been forged and migrated to where they need to be, a massive cell death (known as apoptosis) occurs. From there on out, neurogensis does not occur in 99% of the brain, meaning most gray matter loss and cell death is permanent.
Neurogensis is thought to occur in humans in two areas of the brain. The first is the Olfactory Bulb, our smell center. The second is the hippocampus, a structure crucial for memory formation, emotional regulation, and and many other vital functions. The alleged neurogensis of the hippocampus is overstated. I read a paper from this year that postulates that neurogenesis does not actually occur at all in humans. Their studied samples were not the best, so I will assume that is wrong. Even still, NG only occurs in the Dentate Gyrus of the hippocampus, whose new cell replication is limited throughout the lifespan and whose new neurons have very limited migration ability.
This means, as stated, that 99% of all cell death in the brain is permanent. If you lose cells in your Broca's Area, those are never coming back. So, do not rely on antidepressants, exercise, or anything else for that matter to have NG or NP be your savior. They may help, but NP creates tinnitus in the first place, so it should be inhibited to force the brain to live with an imbalance. And finally, NG is very limited beyond infancy and is not going to help you recover 99% of cells you lose from stress, anxiety, or depression.
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