Slashdot Mirror
Sex Makes Your Brain Grow
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 ."
.. that's not all that it makes grow! O=)
.. they include masterbation as sex? I.E. What's there defination of sex?
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Come on baby... Don't you want to feel beautiful? Don't you know it'll make you smarter? Come on sugar and give it to me... Of course I love you.
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Does not work with manual override. Sorry guys!
Perhaps having sex often would give you the extra olfactory neurons needed to be a wine connoisseur or a perfume tester.
Finding out what controls the migration to the olfactory bulb would also be nice, especially if the mechanism could be hijacked to direct the neurons elsewhere. Cure Alzheimer's disease by having sex? Cram for a test by watching certain videos?
It might be interesting to see if the brain has its own mechanisms for directing the stem cells to places that need them. Suppose damage itself is a trigger for migration? Perhaps prolactin injections alone could alleviate stroke damage by stepping up the stem cell production, with the new stem cells migrating to the damaged area.
Maybe the reason spinal cord injuries are so hard to heal is that people paralyzed from the neck down get less sex than they used to?
That would be an interesting grant proposal...
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And how does this concern the average Slashdot reader?
"When all else fails, there's always delusion." -Conan O'Brien
READ THE ARTICLE - it says that both sex and pregnancy add nerve cells to the part of the brain that handles SMELL. NOT IQ. NOT memory.
Maybe this explains morning sickness. Any why she starts bitching about your dirty clothes, room, etc. after a while. And why her perfume doesn't smell as cool as it used to.
Maybe this ain't so good after all, eh?
It's easy to make up & spread cool- and credible-sounding stuff. Finding & checking hard facts is hard work.
Science: Slashdot Has Effects Opposite Those of Sex
...that's why I can't smell anything.
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We knew right away when my wife got pregnant this time. Before she had even missed her first period her sense smell had gone into overdrive. Last time she couldn't even go into the meat department in the grocery store. Yesterday she was sniffing our 18mth old daughter and telling me how good she smelled. Fortunately I haven't had to take over all the diaper changing of our toddler yet. But I wouldn't be surprised if that is coming soon.
I think it is a self-preservation thing in that helps prevent her from eating spoiled meat or moldy fruit - she can smell these from across the room.
However as to making you smarter, any gain in brain capacity during pregnancy more than lost in memory function after childbirth. Most new mothers blame this on lack of sleep, but I think there is likely a hormonal aspect to it as well.