Memory problems, depression, brain fog, and difficulty concentrating are common after a concussion or traumatic brain injury. These symptoms may be connected to changes in a process called hippocampal neurogenesis.
During this episode of Mind Matters: Navigating Head Injuries and Concussions, legal nurse consultant Kiley Como continued her conversation with Dr. Robert Bashuk of the Concussion Center in Atlanta about how the brain forms new cells and which habits may support that process after an injury.
What Is Hippocampal Neurogenesis?
The hippocampus is a part of the brain involved in learning, memory, and emotional regulation.
Hippocampal neurogenesis is the process through which new nerve cells develop in this area. Learning, exercise, sleep, nutrition, and new experiences may support that process.
After a traumatic brain injury, the brain may experience excess glutamate, abnormal calcium activity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation. Dr. Bashuk explained that these changes may damage developing nerve cells and contribute to cognitive and emotional symptoms after a concussion.
Why Two People May Recover Differently
Two people can experience similar head injuries and still have very different recoveries.
The condition of the brain and body before the injury may influence what happens afterward. Factors may include:
- Vitamin D levels
- Vitamin B12 levels
- Omega-3 fatty acid levels
- Physical conditioning
- Sleep quality
- Stress
- Inflammation
- Overall nutrition
A person with nutritional deficiencies, poor sleep, or high stress may have fewer resources available to support recovery.
Dr. Bashuk explained that his clinic checks vitamin B12, vitamin D, and omega-3 levels in concussion patients and frequently identifies abnormalities. He believes someone with healthier levels and better physical conditioning may recover more effectively than someone with significant deficiencies.
Exercise Supports More Than Physical Health
Aerobic exercise may support hippocampal neurogenesis and brain recovery.
At the Concussion Center, many patients complete the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test or Buffalo Concussion Bike Test. These assessments help determine how much exercise the patient can tolerate without significantly worsening symptoms.
Exercise should be introduced according to the person’s condition. Someone with heart disease, a broken bone, balance problems, or another medical limitation may require a modified approach.
When medically appropriate, gradual aerobic activity may support blood flow, cellular energy production, mood, and cognitive health.
Sleep Gives the Brain Time to Clean Up
Sleep is one of the most important parts of brain health.
Dr. Bashuk discussed the glymphatic system, which helps remove waste and debris from the brain while a person sleeps.
When someone stays awake all night, they may feel foggy, irritable, forgetful, and mentally slow the following day. Those symptoms can resemble some of the cognitive effects associated with a concussion.
Sitting quietly or resting during the day is not the same as receiving deep, restorative sleep. The brain needs a healthy sleep cycle to complete important maintenance and recovery processes.
New Experiences Stimulate the Brain
Supporting the brain does not always require an expensive program or dramatic lifestyle change.
Dr. Bashuk encouraged patients to seek new experiences that challenge the brain to process unfamiliar information.
Examples include:
- Taking a different walking route
- Reading a new book
- Learning an instrument
- Beginning a new hobby
- Painting or creating art
- Visiting an unfamiliar place
- Watching a different type of movie
- Trying a new restaurant
- Ordering an unfamiliar food
- Having meaningful conversations
The person does not have to enjoy every experience.
Dr. Bashuk joked that even watching a terrible movie or ordering food he disliked created a memory because the experience was new and different.
Stress Can Work Against Brain Health
A small amount of stress can provide motivation. Excessive or prolonged stress may have the opposite effect.
Chronic stress can raise cortisol levels, which may interfere with hippocampal neurogenesis.
Dr. Bashuk connected this concept to adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental incarceration, substance abuse within the home, and family separation.
Long-term exposure to those conditions may affect memory, learning, emotional regulation, and cognitive development.
Stress cannot always be eliminated, but recognizing its physical impact may help people understand why stress management is part of caring for the brain.
Nutrition May Influence Recovery
The brain requires energy and nutrients to function and repair itself.
During the discussion, Dr. Bashuk mentioned several foods and nutrients that may support hippocampal neurogenesis, including:
- Blueberries
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D
- Curcumin
- A low-inflammatory diet
He also discussed intermittent fasting and caloric restriction. These approaches are not appropriate for everyone and should be considered only with guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.
Supplements should not be viewed as a replacement for medical treatment. Testing can help determine whether an actual deficiency exists and whether supplementation is appropriate.
Habits That May Interfere With Neurogenesis
Some lifestyle factors may work against cognitive health and brain recovery.
These may include:
- Poor sleep
- Excessive alcohol use
- High-sugar diets
- Diets high in saturated fat
- Physical inactivity
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Chronic inflammation
- Excessive stress
Improving these areas cannot guarantee that someone will avoid a neurological condition or recover quickly from an injury.
However, healthier habits may provide a stronger foundation for both concussion recovery and long-term brain health.
How the Brain Creates Memories
Dr. Bashuk also described several ways the brain processes and stores information.
Visual encoding helps us remember something we have seen. Acoustic encoding allows us to recognize voices, words, and other sounds.
Semantic encoding involves facts and concepts. Elaborative encoding connects new information to something already stored in memory.
Organizational encoding helps the brain classify information and recognize relationships between different objects or ideas.
After information is encoded, it must be stored and later retrieved. A brain injury may interfere with any part of that process.
This helps explain why a survivor may understand a conversation but struggle to remember it later, recognize a face without recalling a name, or know that information is stored somewhere without being able to retrieve it.
Build Brain Health Through Everyday Choices
There is no single exercise, food, supplement, or activity that guarantees brain recovery.
Brain health is influenced by the combined effects of movement, sleep, nutrition, stress, learning, and social connection.
Dr. Bashuk’s message is that the brain benefits from being challenged.
A different route, a new hobby, an unfamiliar meal, or a conversation with friends may appear simple, but each experience gives the brain something new to process.
Those daily choices may help support recovery after a concussion while also promoting better cognitive health throughout life.
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