The Science Behind Neurcumin®:
A Supplement for Brain & Body
The Brain
The human brain is a complex organ that allows you to think, move, feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. It controls your body, receives and analyzes information, and stores information in the form of memories. The brain produces electrical signals, and coupled with chemical reactions, lets the parts of the body communicate. Although the brain is only 2% of the body’s weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen supply and receives 20% of the blood flow.
The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem (medulla). The cerebrum is involved in remembering, problem solving, thinking, feeling and movement. The cerebellum is located at the back of the head, and controls your coordination and balance. The brain stem connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure.
You have been given the task to maintain the most extraordinary and complex creation in the universe —your brain. Your mind determines your personality and stores your cherished memories and future hopes. It orchestrates the symphony of thought that determines your purpose and passion. This site will provide you with decades of research. Learn how to care for your brain and join today’s neuroscience renaissance!
The Neuron
The neuron, or nerve cell, is the basic building block of the brain. Neurons transmit information throughout the brain. This process takes place in both chemical and electrical forms. In order to do this, the brain needs over one hundred billion neurons.
There are three basic parts of a neuron: the dendrites, the cell body, and the axon. Dendrites are tree-like extensions surrounding the neuron. They receive information from other neurons and transmit electrical stimulation to the cell body. The axon is the elongated fiber that extends from the cell and transmits the neural signal. Terminal buttons are located at the end of the axon and send signals to other neurons. Located between the terminal button and the next neuron is a gap known as a synapse. Neurotransmitters carry signal across these synapses to other neurons.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who initially described it in 1906. AD is the most common form of dementia among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that results in impaired mental functions (thinking, retaining information, and reasoning) that interferes with a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
Currently, 2.4 to 4.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. AD is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that currently has no cure. We do not know what causes AD, but damage can develop in the brain 10-to-20 years before symptoms occur. Abnormalities called beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles form, and as they increase, they injure and eventually kill healthy neurons.
Neurons effected by Alzheimer’s Disease can no longer function and communicate with each other. When this process affects memory centers in the brain like the hippocampus, the formation of memories is compromised. As the death toll of neurons increases, the corresponding regions in the brain start to shrink. Towards the final stage of AD, widespread significant brain damage and atrophy generally occurs. At this stage, AD patients are completely dependent on others for their care.
Spice improves heart function, survival after CPR
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS
The active ingredient in the spice turmeric, called curcumin, may help shield the heart from damage after cardiac arrest and resuscitation, according to two animal studies presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015.
In the first study, researchers evenly divided 24 rats into three groups. In the first group, rats were pre-treated with curcumin and received epinephrine during resuscitation; the second group received only epinephrine; and the third group received neither treatment.
Researchers found:
- All eight rats in the curcumin/epinephrine group and the epinephrine-only group were revived, compared to only six rats in the no-treatment group.
- Seven rats in the combined treatment group lived more than 24 hours compared to only one rat in the epinephrine-only group, and two in the no-treatment group.
“Epinephrine can be both helpful and harmful,” said researcher Wanchun Tang, M.D. “During CPR, epinephrine constricts blood flow to the limbs, allowing more blood to reach the heart and brain—but epinephrine also increases the heart’s need for oxygen, which can lead to damage because that need isn’t met during CPR.”
Heart damage was most severe in the epinephrine-only group, and least severe in those given curcumin plus epinephrine, indicating the curcumin was protective against damage associated with the epinephrine, researchers said.
In a similar study, 16 rats were divided into two groups: half were fed 450-550 grams of curcumin, based on their weight at the start of the experiment, and the other half did not receive curcumin.
Eight minutes after inducing an irregular heart rhythm in the rats, researchers provided CPR and defibrillation to restore normal heart rhythms.
Researchers found:
- Seven rats in the curcumin group were revived, compared to six in the control group.
- Ultrasound tests found all 16 rats had significant impairment to the muscular layer of the heart responsible for pumping blood (myocardium).
- Rats that received curcumin had better heart function.