5 amazing discoveries about our brain

1 – Even as an adult, part of the brain continues to grow.
No neurologist expected this: brain growth does not stop after childhood! It continues to grow throughout life, at least a small part of it: the face recognition zone. A discovery made in January 2017 by a team from the Department of Psychology at Stanford University (USA).

2 – The mind-body connection, much denser than we thought
Thanks to a new tracing method that reveals long chains of interconnected neurons, a team from the University of Pittsburgh (USA) identified, in August 2016, the anatomical connections between multiple areas of the brain and the part of the body that handles stress.

3 – A nursery of neurons in the meninges
The meninges, layers of protective tissue that envelop the brain, house a treasure: a nursery of neurons! This is the surprising discovery made by a group of researchers at the University of Leuven (Belgium) in November 2016. A hope for regenerative medicine.

4 – The brain is connected to the immune system
Against all odds, scientists at the University of Virginia (USA) have discovered the presence of lymphatic vessels in the brains of mice, linking them to the immune system. Until now, however, the scientists were convinced that the brain had no direct anatomical link with the immune system. The presence of lymphatic vessels had therefore escaped all the dissections performed until June 2015.

5 – Attention Deficit Disorder shows up in the brain
The brains of people with attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (shortened to ADHD), are different, slightly smaller, compared to those of individuals who are free of it, Dutch researchers found for the first time in February 2017. Evidence that this disorder does have a physical basis.

(extract from the website sciencesetavenir.fr)