On 16 May 2014, at 03:12, Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
On 16 May 2014 11:02, Russell Standish <[email protected]> wrote:
On Fri, May 16, 2014 at 12:10:20PM +1200, LizR wrote:
>
> I don't think we replace our brain cells, but even if we do, isn't
the fact
> > that they are replaced and the replacements are functionally
similar
> > important to who we are?
> >
> > We do, apparently.
>
http://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2012/feb/23/brain-new-cells-adult-neurogenesis
>
> (I know I could do with some new ones ... or do I mean "neurones" ?)
>
I think that is more about brain repair, than material replacement in
cells, and only involves a few percent of neurons.
It turns out the carbon atoms in the DNA of neural cells is remarkable
long lived, as chronicled via the radiation spike due to atmospheric
nuclear weapons testing in 50s & 60s. I don't have a cite on hand,
but the result is that your neuronal DNA is on average about two years
younger than your own age. For most other cell types, the average age
is around 7 years, or something like that.
The conclusion is that the body does not materially recycle neurons,
as presumably to do so loses important learnt information. The other
interesting conclusion is that our brains are dramatically rewired
when we're about 2. We're not the same people as when we're infants.
Cheers
I think this might be the paper you are thinking of:
http://scholar.google.com.au/scholar_url?hl=en&q=http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-b6ed2137-3083-37b7-9901-46f88551da73/c/main.pdf&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm12RhfzMR6yIzFstjT4BrLeu8PfyQ&oi=scholarr&ei=B2V1U7eNHI_ZkQXQ0YEI&ved=0CCwQgAMoADAA
(Going to the above URL gives the entire paper rather than an
abstract)
But while the atoms in the neuronal DNA are relatively stable over
time, the rest of the matter in a neuron turns over continuously.
OK. I need to read that paper, and perhaps change my mind. I doubt
this can be used seriously to put a doubt on comp. The atom of my
computer are quite stable also ...
Bruno
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Stathis Papaioannou
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