You can grow new brain cells. Here's how | Sandrine Thuret | TED

Translator: Drilona Gashi Reviewer: Helena Bedalli

Can we, as adults, grow new nerve cells?

A mundemi ne, si të rritur, të prodhojme qeliza të reja nervore?

There's still some confusion about that question,

Ka ende paqartesi rreth kësaj pyetje,

as this is a fairly new field of research.

pasi kjo është një fushë mjaft e re e hulumtimit.

For example, I was talking to one of my colleagues, Robert,

Për shembull, isha duke folur me një nga kolegët e mi, Robertin,

who is an oncologist,

një onkologjist,

and he was telling me,

dhe ai më tha,

"Sandrine, this is puzzling.

"Sandrine, është misterioze.

Some of my patients that have been told they are cured of their cancer

Disa nga pacienteve te mi që u është thënë së janë shëruar nga kanceri i tyre

still develop symptoms of depression."

ende tregojnë shenja të depresionit."

And I responded to him,

Dhe unë i'u përgjigja atij:

"Well, from my point of view that makes sense.

Nga pikëpamja ime eshte e kuptueshme.

The drug you give to your patients that stops the cancer cells multiplying

Trajtimi i pacientëve me ilace, që parandalojne shumimin e qelizave kanceroze

also stops the newborn neurons being generated in their brain."

gjithashtu ndalon që të zhvillohen dhe neuronet e reja në trurin e tyre."

And then Robert looked at me like I was crazy and said,

Roberti më pa si të isha e çmendur dhe më tha,

"But Sandrine, these are adult patients --

"Shiko Sandrine, këta janë pacientë të rritur

adults do not grow new nerve cells."

të rriturit nuk zhvillojnë qeliza të reja nervore."

And much to his surprise, I said, "Well actually, we do."

Edhe pse shumë e habitur, i thashe, "Ne të vërtete, mundemi."

And this is a phenomenon that we call neurogenesis.

Dhe ky është një fenomen që ne e quajmë neurogjeneza.

[Neurogenesis]

[Neurogjeneza]

Now Robert is not a neuroscientist,

Roberti nuk është neuroshkenctar,

and when he went to medical school he was not taught what we know now --

dhe ateherë ne shkollen e mjekesise nuk i kane mesuar cka mesohet tani --

that the adult brain can generate new nerve cells.

qe truri i nje te rrituri mund te prodhoje qeliza te reja nervore.

So Robert, you know, being the good doctor that he is,

Keshtu qe Roberti, nje doktor i mire qe eshte,

wanted to come to my lab

deshironte te vinte tek laboratori im

to understand the topic a little bit better.

qe te kuptonte me mire se per cka e kisha fjalen.

And I took him for a tour

Dhe i bera nje udhetim

of one of the most exciting parts of the brain

ne nje nga pjeset me ngacmuese te trurit

when it comes to neurogenesis --

persa i perket neurogjenezes --

and this is the hippocampus.

dhe kjo eshte pjesa e trurit hipokampus.

So this is this gray structure in the center of the brain.

Kjo eshte struktura ngjyre hiri ne qender te trurit.

And what we've known already for very long,

Dhe meqe e dime kete fakt prej shume kohesh,

is that this is important for learning, memory, mood and emotion.

ajo eshte pergjegjese per te nxenet, kujtesen, humorin, dhe emocionet.

However, what we have learned more recently

Sidoqofte, cka kemi zbuluar se fundmi

is that this is one of the unique structures of the adult brain

eshte qe kjo eshte nje nder pjeset unike ne trurin e te rriturit

where new neurons can be generated.

ku mund te zhvillohen neuronet e reja.

And if we slice through the hippocampus

Dhe nese e presim hipokampusin

and zoom in,

dhe e zmadhojme,

what you actually see here in blue

atehere ajo qe shihet ketu pjesa e kaltert

is a newborn neuron in an adult mouse brain.

eshte nje neuron i ri ne nje tru miu te rritur.

So when it comes to the human brain --

Por kur bie fjala te truri i njeriut --

my colleague Jonas Frisén from the Karolinska Institutet,

kolegu im Jonas Frisén nga Instituti Karolinska,

has estimated that we produce 700 new neurons per day

ka vleresuar se ne prodhojme rreth 700 neurone te reja cdo dite

in the hippocampus.

ne hipokampus.

You might think this is not much,

Mund te mendoni se nuk eshte shume,

compared to the billions of neurons we have.

duke i krahasuar me miliarda neurone qe i kemi.

But by the time we turn 50,

Por kur arrin moshen 50 vjec,

we will have all exchanged the neurons we were born with in that structure

te gjitha neuronet me te cilat kemi lindur, do te jene zevendesuar

with adult-born neurons.

me neurone te te rriturve.

So why are these new neurons important and what are their functions?

Pse keto neurone te reja jane te rendesishme dhe si funksionojne ato?

First, we know that they're important for learning and memory.

Se pari, e dime qe ato jane te rendesishme per te mesuarit dhe kujtesen.

And in the lab we have shown

Dhe ne laboratorin qe u tregua

that if we block the ability of the adult brain

qe nese e pengojme aftesine e nje truri te rritur

to produce new neurons in the hippocampus,

te prodhoje neurone te reja ne hipokampus,

then we block certain memory abilities.

atehere ne bllokojme disa aftesi te kujteses.

And this is especially new and true for spatial recognition --

Kjo eshte vecanerisht e vertete dhe e re, per orientimin tre dimensional --

so like, how you navigate your way in the city.

si pershembull, se si e drejtoni veten ne qytet.

We are still learning a lot,

Ne jemi ende duke mesuar shume gjera,

and neurons are not only important for memory capacity,

dhe neuronet nuk jane te rendesishme vetem per kapacitetin e kujteses,

but also for the quality of the memory.

por jane gjithashtu edhe per cilesine te kujteses.

And they will have been helpful to add time to our memory

Dhe do te kishin qene te dobishem te shtojne kohe ne kujtesen tone

and they will help differentiate very similar memories, like:

do te ndihmojne te bejne dallimin e kujtimeve te ngjashme, si:

how do you find your bike

si te gjeni biçikleten

that you park at the station every day in the same area,

qe e keni parkuar cdo dite ne te njejten zone,

but in a slightly different position?

por ne nje pozicion pak me te ndryshem?

And more interesting to my colleague Robert

Dhe me interesante per kolegun tim Robert

is the research we have been doing on neurogenesis and depression.

eshte hulumtimi qe jemi duke bere mbi neurogjenezen dhe depresionin.

So in an animal model of depression,

Ne nje model kafshe me depresion,

we have seen that we have a lower level of neurogenesis.

kemi pare qe kemi nivel me te vogel te neurogjenezes.

And if we give antidepressants,

Dhe nese i japim pilula kunder depresionit,

then we increase the production of these newborn neurons,

atehere e rrisim prodhimin e ketyre neuroneve te reja,

and we decrease the symptoms of depression,

dhe i zvogelojme simptomat e depresionit,

establishing a clear link between neurogenesis and depression.

duke krijuar nje lidhje te paster, ne mes neurogjenezes dhe depresionit.

But moreover, if you just block neurogenesis,

Por, nese e bllokon thjesht neurogjenezen,

then you block the efficacy of the antidepressant.

atehere bllokohet edhe efektshmeria e pilulave kunder depresionit.

So by then, Robert had understood

Roberti kishte kuptuar

that very likely his patients were suffering from depression

qe ka me shume gjase qe pacientet e tij te kene vuajtuar nga depresioni

even after being cured of their cancer,

edhe pse ishin sheruar nga kanceri i tyre,

because the cancer drug had stopped newborn neurons from being generated.

sepse bari i kancerit kishte ndaluar neuronet e reja te prodhohen.

And it will take time to generate new neurons

Duhet kohe derisa te prodhohen neuronet e tjera

that reach normal functions.

qe arrijne te funksionojne normalisht.

So, collectively, now we think we have enough evidence

Keshtu qe, kolektivisht, ne mendojme qe kemi fakte te mjaftueshme

to say that neurogenesis is a target of choice

qe te themi se neurogjeneza eshte objektivi primar

if we want to improve memory formation or mood,

nese deshirojme te permiresojme formimin e kujteses ose te humorit,

or even prevent the decline associated with aging,

ose edhe te parandalojme ligeshtimin qe vjen me moshen,

or associated with stress.

ose qe eshte e lidhur edhe me stresin.

So the next question is:

Atehere pyetja tjeter eshte:

can we control neurogenesis?

a mundemi t'a kontrollojme neurogjenezen?

The answer is yes.

Pergjigjja eshte po.

And we are now going to do a little quiz.

Dhe tash do te bejme nje kuiz.

I'm going to give you a set of behaviors and activities,

Do t'ju jap nje shumellojshmeri te sjelljeve dhe te aktiviteteve,

and you tell me if you think they will increase neurogenesis

dhe ju do te me tregoni nese ato do ta rrisin neurogjenezen

or if they will decrease neurogenesis.

apo do te zvogelojne neurogjenezen.

Are we ready?

Jemi gati?

OK, let's go.

Ne rregull, te fillojme.

So what about learning?

Cfare mendoni rreth te nxenit?

Increasing?

Rritet?

Yes.

Po.

Learning will increase the production of these new neurons.

Te nxenit do te rrise prodhimin e ketyre neuroneve te reja.

How about stress?

Po stresi?

Yes, stress will decrease the production of new neurons in the hippocampus.

Po, stresi do te ule prodhimin e ketyre neuroneve ne hipokamus.

How about sleep deprivation?

Mungesa e gjumit?

Indeed, it will decrease neurogenesis.

Me te vertet, qe do te ule neurogjenezen.

How about sex?

Po seksi?

Oh, wow!

Oh, wow!

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

Yes, you are right, it will increase the production of new neurons.

Po, keni te drejte, do te rrise prodhimin e neuroneve te reja.

However, it's all about balance here.

Sidoqofte, eshte gjithcka rreth balancit ketu.

We don't want to fall in a situation --

Ne s'duam te jemi ata qe biem ne nje situate --

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

about too much sex leading to sleep deprivation.

qe shume seks, te krijoje mungese gjumi.

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

How about getting older?

Cka rreth plakjes?

So the neurogenesis rate will decrease as we get older,

Atehere perqindja e neurogjenezes do te ulet ndersa plakemi,

but it is still occurring.

por ende eshte e pranishme.

And then finally, how about running?

Dhe kjo eshte e fundit, cka rreth te vrapuarit?

I will let you judge that one by yourself.

Do t'ju le te gjykoni vete kete.

So this is one of the first studies

Kjo eshte nje nder studimet e para

that was carried out by one of my mentors, Rusty Gage from the Salk Institute,

qe eshte mbajtur nga nje prej mentoreve te mi, Rusty Gage nga Instituti Salk,

showing that the environment can have an impact

duke treguar qe ambienti qe na rrethon mund te kete nje ndikim

on the production of new neurons.

ne prodhimin e neuroneve te reja.

And here you see a section of the hippocampus of a mouse

Dhe ketu mund te shihni nje pjese te hipokampusit te nje miu

that had no running wheel in its cage.

qe nuk ka vrapuar asnjehere ne kafazin e tij.

And the little black dots you see are actually newborn neurons-to-be.

Keto pikat e zeza qe shihni jane neuronet e ardhshme te reja.

And now, you see a section of the hippocampus of a mouse

Dhe tash, ndersa shihni nje prerje te hipokampusit te nje miu

that had a running wheel in its cage.

qe kishte nje rrote vrapimi ne kafazin e tij.

So you see the massive increase

E shihni rritjen e madhe

of the black dots representing the new neurons-to-be.

te pikave te zeza qe tregojne qe do te jene neuronet e reja.

So activity impacts neurogenesis, but that's not all.

Keshtu qe aktiviteti ka ndikim ne neurogjeneze, por kjo s'eshte e gjitha.

What you eat will have an effect

Cfare ushqimi hani ka ndikim

on the production of new neurons in the hippocampus.

ne prodhimin e neuroneve te reja ne hipokampus.

So here we have a sample of diet --

Ketu e kemi nje shembull te dietes --

of nutrients that have been shown to have efficacy.

te ushqimeve qe kane treguar qe kane ndikim.

And I'm just going to point a few out to you:

Dhe do te theksoj disa per ju:

Calorie restriction of 20 to 30 percent will increase neurogenesis.

Ulja e kalorive te marra me 20 deri 30 perqind do te rrise neurogjenezen.

Intermittent fasting -- spacing the time between your meals --

Dietat ku perfshihet agjerimi -- hapesira e kohes midis vakteve --

will increase neurogenesis.

do te rrise neurogjenezen.

Intake of flavonoids,

Konsumimi i flavonoideve,

which are contained in dark chocolate or blueberries,

qe gjenden ne çokolladen e zeze ose ne boronica,

will increase neurogenesis.

do te rrise neurogjenezen.

Omega-3 fatty acids,

Omega-3 acidet e yndyrshme,

present in fatty fish, like salmon,

qe gjendet ne peshkun e yndyrshem, siq eshte salmoni,

will increase the production of these new neurons.

do te rrise prodhimin e ketyre neuroneve te reja.

Conversely, a diet rich in high saturated fat

Nga ana tjeter, nje diete qe ka nivele te larta te yndyres se saturuar

will have a negative impact on neurogenesis.

do te kete nje ndikim negativ ne neurogjeneze.

Ethanol -- intake of alcohol -- will decrease neurogenesis.

Etanoli -- konsumimi i alkoholit -- do te zvogeloje neurogjenezen.

However, not everything is lost;

Sidoqofte, jo gjithcka eshte e humbur;

resveratrol, which is contained in red wine,

resveratroli, qe gjendet ne veren e kuqe,

has been shown to promote the survival of these new neurons.

ka treguar te ndihmoje mbijetesen e ketyre neuroneve te reja.

So next time you are at a dinner party,

Keshtu qe, heres tjeter kur te jeni ne nje darke,

you might want to reach for this possibly "neurogenesis-neutral" drink.

ndoshta do te preferonit keto pije "neurogjeneze-neutrale".

(Laughter)

(Te qeshura)

And then finally, let me point out the last one --

Dhe per ta perfunduar, me lejoni te permend kete te fundit --

a quirky one.

nje te habitshme.

So Japanese groups are fascinated with food textures,

Japonezet jane te apasionuar me teksturen e ushqimit,

and they have shown that actually soft diet impairs neurogenesis,

dhe kane treguar qe dietat e buta te lengshme e demtojne neurogjenezen,

as opposed to food that requires mastication -- chewing -- or crunchy food.

perkunder atyre ushqimeve qe kerkojne pertypje -- perçapje -- ose ushqimet e forta.

So all of this data,

Keshtu te gjitha keto informacione,

where we need to look at the cellular level,

kur kemi nevoje te shikojme nivelin e qelizave,

has been generated using animal models.

qe eshte gjeneruar duke i perdorur kafshet si shembuj.

But this diet has also been given to human participants,

Por kjo diete iu eshte administruar edhe mbi njerez,

and what we could see is that the diet modulates memory and mood

dhe ajo cka kemi zbuluar eshte qe dieta rregullon kujtesen dhe humorin

in the same direction as it modulates neurogenesis,

ne menyre te njejte siq rregullon neurogjenezen.

such as: calorie restriction will improve memory capacity,

si pershembull: reduktimi i kalorive do te rrisi kapacitetin e kujteses,

whereas a high-fat diet will exacerbate symptoms of depression --

ndersa nje diete qe ka shume yndyre vetem do t'i perkeqesonte shenjat e depresionit-

as opposed to omega-3 fatty acids, which increase neurogenesis,

perkunder omega-3 acidet yndyrore, qe do te rrit neurogjenezen,

and also help to decrease the symptoms of depression.

qe gjithashtu ndihmon te ulen shenjat e depresionit.

So we think that the effect of diet

Keshtu qe mendojme se efekti i dietes

on mental health, on memory and mood,

ne shendetin mendor, ne kujtese dhe ne humor,

is actually mediated by the production of the new neurons in the hippocampus.

eshte gjithashtu i shoqeruar ne prodhimin e neuroneve te reja ne hipokampus.

And it's not only what you eat,

Dhe nuk eshte vetem se cka konsumoni,

but it's also the texture of the food, when you eat it

por eshte edhe se teksture ka ushqimi kur e hani,

and how much of it you eat.

dhe sasia e ushqimit qe merrni.

On our side -- neuroscientists interested in neurogenesis --

Nga ana jone -- neuroshkencetaret qe jane te interesuar ne neurogjeneze --

we need to understand better the function of these new neurons,

duhet te kuptojme me shume rreth funskionit te neuroneve te reja,

and how we can control their survival and their production.

dhe se si i kontrollojme mbijetesen dhe prodhimin e tyre.

We also need to find a way to protect the neurogenesis of Robert's patients.

Po ashtu te gjejme menyren si te mbrojme neurogjenezen e pacienteve te Robertit.

And on your side --

Dhe nga ana juaj --

I leave you in charge of your neurogenesis.

Ju le ju ne pergjegjesi te neurogjenezes suaj.

Thank you.

Faleminderit.

(Applause)

(Duartrokitje)

Margaret Heffernan: Fantastic research, Sandrine.

Margaret Heffernan: Nje kerkim fantastik, Sandrine.

Now, I told you you changed my life --

Tash, te kam thene qe ti me ke ndryshuar jeten --

I now eat a lot of blueberries.

Tash une ha shume boronica.

Sandrine Thuret: Very good.

Sandrine Thuret: Shume mire.

MH: I'm really interested in the running thing.

MH: Jam shume e interesuar ne punen e te vrapuarit.

Do I have to run?

A duhet te vrapoj?

Or is it really just about aerobic exercise,

Apo vlen vetem per ushtrimet aerobike,

getting oxygen to the brain?

per ti derguar oksigjen trurit?

Could it be any kind of vigorous exercise?

A mundet te jete ndonje ushtrim tjeter energjik?

ST: So for the moment,

ST: Atehere per momentin,

we can't really say if it's just the running itself,

nuk mundemi te themi se eshte vetem vrapimi,

but we think that anything that indeed will increase the production --

por ne mendojme qe gjithcka qe vertet rrit prodhimin --

or moving the blood flow to the brain,

ose qarkullimin e gjakut ne tru,

should be beneficial.

duhet te jete i dobishem.

MH: So I don't have to get a running wheel in my office?

MH: Atehere nuk eshte nevoja te kem nje rreth vrapimi ne zyren time?

ST: No, you don't!

ST: Jo, nuk eshte nevoja!

MH: Oh, what a relief! That's wonderful.

MH: Oh, cfare lehtesimi! Kjo eshte e mrekullueshme.

Sandrine Thuret, thank you so much.

Sandrine Thuret, te faleminderit shume.

ST: Thank you, Margaret.

ST: Faleminderit juve, Margaret.

(Applause)

(Duartrokitje)