Wonder Project Blog Post #1

As an Adult, is it Possible to Stimulate Brain Cell Growth? If so What are the Most Efficient Ways?

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/,  https://www.flickr.com/photos/wyi/2125479161/in/photolist-4ePCUr-2vfT-5sJtu-zBV5J-3BypN-ddMgVE-7YHGGV-9BZc9m-9S33D-rU4aM4-2R8if-RXUbR6-Q1QU-8BAip-JCWP-prjs9U-zrJB6-acg5vF-dpBpiw-cwutKh-4AEyD1-21F4fRb-5xaWQY-6Zt6gq-4AAh8Z-21F4fvS-62xXUc-7UuP8y-6a92EV-nZ6RGY-o3EVhm-b21V1-dnzABS-q7EWou-mkDJyH-pABxg8-qJayHd-3MZj-48Cghg-ajCrNA-6YWvxA-21b3JX9-7hdE1o-bgGqFr-Jvcm92-doDHZX-99GUtH-8g1MY-fqVcWs-aAukJ3


This question is significant to me because, I am interested in the human brain, growing brain cells could be a huge advancement in the field of neuroscience. Since neuroscience is something I am considering perusing in the future, this could be something that could broaden my understanding of the field, and it could be something that  I could be studying/ working on, one day. 

This question is significant to others because, if scientists & doctors can grow brain cells, it could help people with certain illnesses (Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s) as well as brain damage caused by injuries. It could change the lives of so many people, make their lives happier and easier.


What are stem cells?

Stem cells may be one of the ways to grow brain cells?


Why is turning stem cells to brain cells harder then tuning stem cells into blood cells, fat cells, skin cells, etc..?


What are some illnesses/ problems that can be helped by a brain cell transplant?

– Alzheimer’s, 

– Parkinson’s,

– Concussions,

– Tumours,

– and more…


Is it worth it to transfer brain cells? What methods are more efficient & safer?

We need to find ways to help people using the different forms of brain cell growth technology. But like anything, there are risk. Knowing these things could give me a better understanding of the probability to help people with this technology.


Stem cells appear to be one of the primary ideas for replacing bad brain cells. to go further, I will be researching other methods, ( if they exist) as well as looking more into the use of stem cells for replacing brain cells, and if they are doing research.


When I looked, I could not find a group researching the transition of stem cells to brain cells in British Columbia, though there are group doing research with stem cells to other cells. Since I have not looked into other methods, I am not certain if there are groups researching other methods.


Since this question is about the inner workings of the brain, and my level of education. I am not trained, or qualified to do an experiment with a real human brain. So I can not do any experiment (that I am aware of). But, I can continue to do research on the subject.



Sources




Information Fluency Questions

  1. What questions did you need to research in order to research your topic?
    1. what are stem cells?  & How do stem cells work?This question was one, since one of the primary methods I found was the use of stem cells. I needed to know what they were, since I did not have a very good understanding of what stem cells were. Now I do!
    2. What are some illnesses where a brain cell / tissue transplant could be beneficial ? Curing these illnesses, helping the people suffering from theses illnesses is the whole reason for doing this project. So, it is good to know what they are.
    3. Why is turning stem cells to brain cells so hard, compared to turning stem cells into other cells? Scientist have been using stem cells to become other cells, but the brain is so different form other things they are using stem cells for. 
    4. Is it worth it to transfer brain cells? What methods are more efficient & safer? We need to find ways to help people using the different forms of brain cell growth technology. But like anything, there are risk. Knowing these things could give me a better understanding of the probability to help people with this technology.
    5. Are there side effects to a brain cell transplant? This one can be linked to the previous question. 
  2. What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use for this project?
    1. New
      1. The digital library/ gale 
    2. Familiar 
      1. Edublog
      2. Notes
      3. One note
      4. Easy bib 
      5. Numbers 
      6. Ted ed
      7. Safari
  3. What was the posses you used to investigate the topic?
    1. I used the organizer, so I knew what I had to find.
    2. I started by watching videos (ted ed) on the subsections to my question (ex. Stem cells)
      1. I like to use videos because it helps me when I can see diagrams & pictures.
    3. I found my other sources
    4. Summarized the sources
    5. Last I types it out, properly 
  4. How did you verify & cite the information you found.
    1. To start I used sources I knew were reliable
      1. Ted ed & approved research papers from the gale library.
    2. I used easy bib to cite my sources, http://www.easybib.com/style
      1. I found out about it from my teacher last year, puts all the website information into a clear professional format. 
  5. How did the presses of completing this challenge go? What could have you done better?
    1. It went well, I was able to get almost all the research done in class, so I did not have a lot of homework. Also, the templates for doing the research were clear and they helped me organize everything as I went, which was very helpful.
    2. What I could have done better, I would have liked to read more papers, and get different perspectives on the idea (in the papers).

6 thoughts on “Wonder Project Blog Post #1

  1. I think your question is very interesting. After reading your post I have learned a lot more about the brain. You have a couple of spelling mistakes that you might want to fix but other then that your post is very interesting and I enjoyed reading about the question. I also really liked the video you attached it was good.

  2. This was a very interesting question and your blog helped me learn more about the brain. You may want to organize your blog a little differently because it became confusing at times but other than that it was a great post thanks for helping me learn!

  3. I like how you organized your post and how you used easier volcabulary so it was easier to follow. If you’re really interested in your question and pursuing neurosciense I think you could probably study this question. One suggestion would be to maybe enlarge your sources because they’re hard to read when it’s so small but other than that you did a good job.

  4. Good job Rach, keep up the good work. The article was very interesting and knowledgable. Maybe one day your dream of becoming a neuroscientist will come true, and you can study this, and develop a cure to help many people in the world.🙂

  5. I really like how you have found a question that is meaningful to you: As an Adult, is it Possible to Stimulate Brain Cell Growth? If so What are the Most Efficient Ways? You have some great sub-questions to lead you to address your main question. What do you think the significance of adult brain cell growth would be? I am eager to hear what you find out!

  6. Rachel,
    Your topic is very interesting and one that I also have a personal interest in. I can see that you are very passionate about your topic from both the classroom discussion we had and your research. You have intriguing sub-questions and another one you might want to add is looking at Neuroplasticity (or brain plasticity) which refers to the brain’s ability to change throughout life. From current research, the human brain has the incredible ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells. This is of particular interest to me as Alzheimer’s Disease is prevalent in my family genetics so I am looking into doing whatever it takes to avoid getting it! I would also like for you to further your research in analyzing the use of stem cells in your question as there is a lot of research happening currently on this topic. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
    Mrs. D.

Leave a Reply to taneshac2018 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *