Apple manure can stimulate brain activity

Natural fertilizers found in apples and other fruits could help stimulate the production of new brain cells, which can affect learning and memory, according to a new study in mice published in Gas Cell reports.

Chemicals found in plants, so-called phytonutrients, such as resveratrol in red grains or epigallo-catechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in green tea, can have a positive effect on various parts of the body taking its toll. -into the brain. Researchers Tara Louise Walker, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia and Gerd Kempermann, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden, Germany, and colleagues found that high concentrations of phytonutrients from apples stimulate the generation of new neurons, a process called neurogenesis. The study showed that laboratory stem cell growth from adult mouse brain generated more neurons and protected them from cell death when quercetin or dihydroxybezoic acid (DHBA), phytonutrients commonly found in apples, added to the cultures. Subsequent experiments in mice, in specific structures of the adult brain involved in learning and memory, showed that stem cells proliferated and generated more neurons when the mice received high doses of quercetin or DHBA . The effects on neurogenesis compared with effects observed after physical exercise, a known stimulus for neurogenesis. This study suggests that natural fertilizers in fruits, such as quercetin, DHBA and others, may work together in cooperation to promote neurogenesis and brain function when taken in high concentrations. Future studies will be needed to determine whether these and other phytonutrients can enhance learning and cognitive function in animal models and in humans.

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