Sex Makes Your Brain Grow

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Posted by michael on Friday January 3, 2003 @07:35AM from the no-wonder-i-need-a-larger-hat dept.

McLuhanesque writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting the findings of two researchers that "Mating triggers the development of new neurons in the smell centre of the brain, a finding researchers hope will provide clues on how to trick other parts of the vital organ to repair themselves after injuries caused by strokes or head traumas. ... Dr. Weiss and his colleagues discovered that prolactin levels -- and consequently new neuron production -- surge after mating ... And they found that if prolactin was introduced to the blood system by injection, it also stimulated production of new neurons for the olfactory bulb." For those with a subscription to Science, the abstract of the full article is here ."

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hmm I wonder if.. by josepha48 · 2003-01-03 07:42 · Score: 3, Insightful

.. they include masterbation as sex? I.E. What's there defination of sex?

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1. Re:hmm I wonder if.. by josepha48 · 2003-01-03 16:21 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I always though that jocks were dumb and had sex with the cheerleaders, but the nerds and geeks masterbated a lot more and were the smart ones.
  
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Re:Ya Right! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-01-03 08:03 · Score: 2, Insightful

Makes a portion of the brain "grow".

Doesn't have anything to do with intelligence.
Re:RTFA - It's NOT Making You Smarter by Smidge204 · 2003-01-03 08:13 · Score: 4, Insightful

Well duh. If you ever talked to a porn star you'ld have all the evidence you need to prove frequent sex does not make you smarter!

=Smidge=
Gee, and here I thought.... by CodeShark · 2003-01-03 08:46 · Score: 2, Insightful

...that it was something else that made my sweet lady's perfume seem better after the *cough* "olfactory neuron connecting activity".
As opposed to something truly satisfying -- like the gentle smile on her face, the close physical space (snuggling), the tenderness in the touching -- and of course the huge release of endorphins we experience together. Plus the knowledge that at if we try at certain tims we might even add an interesting addition to our small family -- you know -- participating in the creation of a new life.
*sigh* Where's the study that shows how much more these important things make new neuronal connections grow...

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A stab in the dark.. by sabNetwork · 2003-01-03 16:35 · Score: 2, Insightful

This probably has to do with human pheromones, which are detected through a part of the olfactory system. Pheromones are utilized during both sex and the search for a mate.