Our nervous system is made up of trillions of neurons that communicate continuously between the brain, spinal cord, and body. Neurons play a vital role in our ability to think, feel, remember, and imagine, and some neurons even become active only when we look at certain pictures, such as Jennifer Aniston.
This episode explores how nerve cells in our gut, specifically the nodos ganglion, are able to send information about our gut to our brain via the vagus nerve.
Suppression of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) triggers autophagy, a cellular process that helps the immune system weed out weak or damaged cells, increasing overall fitness and longevity. Failure to undergo autophagy can lead to the accumulation of senescent or "zombie" cells, which can contribute to aging and illness.
Stem cells can release growth factors without the need for the cells themselves to be present for therapeutic purposes. However, they can sometimes become cancerous or senile cells.
The cells within neurons might regenerate but you can never have more neurons than you were born with, which is why doing hardcore drugs or being an alcoholic can be so damaging in the early or late teens. Our memories stay permanent because either the brain is damaged and amnesia occurs or it remains unchanged.
The guest speaker discusses the subjective nature of creativity and the difficulty in defining it. He suggests listening to your body's physical reactions as a way of recognizing creative inspiration.