We are very interested in optimizing our brain health from eating a nutritious diet, physical exercise, taking brain supportive supplements, and getting adequate sleep. There may be new ways to stimulate the growth of new brain neurons. A study out of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has discovered, for the first time, “a specific kind of neuron in mice to increase the production of neural stem cells and spur on the creation of new adult neurons to affect behavior.” By targeting these neurons, the scientists were able to modulate memory retrieval and alter anxiety-like behaviors in the mice. As the senior author, Juan Song, PhD, explains, “Targeting the hypothalamic neurons to enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis will not only benefit brain functions, but also holds the potential to treat cognitive and affective deficits associated with various brain disorders.” This discovery is important because it could lead to treatment of various cognitive and neurological disorders.