Many changes have been noticed in our health in the last five to seven decades. Health experts say the risk of many types of chronic diseases has increased rapidly during this period. The cases of diabetes and heart disease are now being seen increasing even in young people. In a similar study, a team of researchers found that the shape of the human brain has also changed over time.
According to research published in the JAMA Neurology journal, the size of the human brain has now increased compared to before. The study found that there were changes in brain measurements of people born in the 1970s compared to those born in the 1930s.
During the long-term study of the heart, the team of scientists also studied brain imaging data, which showed that there has been some change in the shape of the human brain over about 40 years. Now the question arises what can be the meaning of increasing the size of the brain, is it a beneficial sign for human health or can it have disadvantages? Let us understand.
The size of the human brain has increased
Experts view the increasing size of the brain positively. Charles DeCarli, a researcher at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Imaging of Dementia, says, increasing brain size can protect against the diseases that occur with aging. In such a situation, it is expected that it may also protect against dementia.
According to published research, we may see a reduction in the cases of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in the coming decades.
What do the researchers say?
This difference is least noticeable among individuals with at least a high school education, says Professor Charlie. We found that differences in brain size are seen after about three generations. Prashanthi Vemuri, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, wrote in an editorial, "If these results are confirmed by other studies, then this difference could be a better indicator towards reducing the risk of diseases and dementia that come with aging."
Possibility of reduction in problems associated with aging
To understand what impact it could have on the Asian and Indian populations, we spoke to Dr. Vikas Kumar, a neurosurgeon at RIMS Hospital, Ranchi. Dr. Vikas explains, that increasing the size of the brain is expected to reduce age-related brain diseases. As we age, like the skin, the brain also starts shrinking. By increasing the size, there will be less chance of damage to the nerves due to natural shrinkage with age, which can help protect you from many types of diseases related to the brain and neurology.
Expectation of decline in cases of dementia
It is noteworthy that this study, which has been going on since 1948, is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in which an attempt is being made to understand the changes taking place in the generational patterns of heart and other diseases. In an old paper related to the same study, a team of scientists had said that the cases of dementia were decreasing.
The authors of the study say that there is still a lot of work to be done to validate and authenticate these findings, and more importantly, the signals coming from these trends are certainly positive.
(PC: Pixabay)
