Yellow Spice Brightens Wit?

I love a good curry. But what I really love is a good curry that provides brain power. A study published in the March 24th JBC Papers in Press suggests that curcumin (a component found in the spice turmeric) stimulates the generation of brain cells.

What is interesting about this study is not just that curcumin is an antioxidant or protective to neurons in culture (cells grown in petri dishes) but that low doses promote the generation of new brain cells in living mice. What makes the study even more enticing is that the cells sprouted in the hippocampus of adult mice.

As we're all too aware, the older we get, the less eager our brain is to develop cells. The hippocampus, a region devoted to learning and memory, is compromised by age and ravaged by Alzheimer's disease. The study authors speculate that curcumin stimulates synaptic plasticity (increasing connections between brain cells) in the same way that exercising does.

There is some discussion regarding the dosage -as too much may negate a desired effect. But the possibility that a portion of good curry might brighten more than just a bowl full of rice puts the dish on my menu.

The above image, from the original PDF, shows the hippocampus stained with a reagent that detects proliferating cells. As you can see the Cur (mice treated with curcumin) have more proliferating cells than control mice, Con (treated with saline)

Kim et al. 2008