Speed Hacking Neurons

>>8650424
Action potentials jump between the myelin sheaths so maybe those can be lengthened

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>>8650424

The myelin sheath is what acts as an insulator (sort of like rubber around electrical wires). So, making sure that you had good nutrition to have healthy sheaths would keep electrical charge in.

The big problem is the synaptic cleft. Even though there are electrical charges that propagate down the axon, ultimately, the communication between neurons is chemical. A vesicle has to release neurotransmitters. I can't think of a way to speed that process up.

An even bigger problem is that you can get low on neurotransmitters. So that might be another hack. Making sure that your neurons have plenty of nutrition to produce as much neurotransmitters as they need.

Finally, the whole process uses up a ton of ATP. ATP requires water and sugars to be produced. So, maybe a last hack would be to make sure you have plenty of energy. Eat pasta/sugar and drink water when gearing up for an exam or something brain intensive.

Pic related.

>>8650424
Neurons are slow compared to circuits yes, but the human brain is massively parallelized which is why the computation is much stronger.

>>8650446

Oh. I thought of another hack. It's probably the biggest hack but also the most obvious.

You have to practice. The chemicals that are being released have to be picked up by receptors. The concentration of those receptors increases the more you use a pathway.

They saying is, "Neurons that fire together wire together."

>>8650446
but that's a chemical synapse, how about the electric ones? do they have a max size?

>>8651209
Gap junctions don't transfer information in the same way chemical synapses do, they're more of a 'binding cells together so you don't have to send a signal to each individual cell and also make them function uniformly' kind of thing

Also, ultimately the start of on action potential is determined by the diffusion of ions across their gradients, which presents a set limit regarding how fast a cell can be depolarised. You can make the action potential travel faster by making the myelin sheath thicker, as mentioned.

>>8650451
yes but what if it were massively parallel AND fast

I have heard once that the speed of neurons slows down with age starting already at a young age of below 20.

Is there any way to prevent a slow down?

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>>8650424
>>8650446 Has the right idea, but I would be a bit wary about attempting to speed up the neurons of the brain. This is a theory, but artificially speeding up your neurons could possibly increase the likelihood of misfiring and errors. You should not attempt to push neurons past their normal speed without fully understanding the brain and how all of the bodily systems work together.

Eating healthy and exercising has shown to increase your memory and thinking, and you should strive to get all the necessary nutrients in your meals.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21081796
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15896913
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27253067
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17414812

Also, keeping your thyroid working and healthy is a must.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074887/

>>8650424
Membranes that have more polyunsaturated fatty acids are more fluidic and conduct electricity slightly faster.

So eat fish and vegetables.