This TedTalk ESL video lesson is based on a talk by Sandrine Thuret. In her talk she is asking two questions:
- How can we help our healthy brains create new nerve cells throughout our lives, through diet and behavior changes?
- How can we study the effects of diseases such as depression and Alzheimer’s on our brains’ ability to grow?
Level: Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate
Time: 45min.(video 11min.)
Skills: speaking, listening, reading
Topic: science, the human body
Download:
Ted Talk Lesson Brain Cells SW Ted Talk Lesson Brain Cells TN
Ted Talk Lesson Brain Cells SW
Sandrine Thuret: YOU CAN GROW NEW BRAIN CELLS. HERE’S HOW.
STUDENT’S WORKSHEET
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
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What part of your body would you like to improve?
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If it was possible, would you rather enhance your body or mind?
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How can we improve our mental and physical abilities?
VOCABULARY
Read the sentences and try to work out the meaning of the underlined words/phrases.
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And this is especially new and true for spatial recognition –so like, how you navigate your way in the city.
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And they will have been helpful to add time to our memory and they will help differentiate very similar memories.
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But moreover, if you just block neurogenesis, then you block the efficacy of the antidepressant.
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“Sandrine, this is puzzling. Some of my patients that have been told they are cured of their cancer still develop symptoms of depression.”
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………………..too much sex leading to sleep deprivation.
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Intermittent fasting — spacing the time between your meals –will increase neurogenesis.
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So Japanese groups are fascinated with food textures, and they have shown that actually, soft diet impairs neurogenesis, as opposed to food that requires mastication.
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Calorie restriction will improve memory capacity, whereas a high-fat diet will exacerbate symptoms of depression –as opposed to omega-3 fatty acids, which increase neurogenesis, and also help to decrease the symptoms of depression.
Match the words/phrases (1-8) to their explanations.
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spatial recognition
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differentiate
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efficacy
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puzzling
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deprivation
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intermittent fasting
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mastication
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exacerbate
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difficult to explain or understand
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chewing
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period of eating and not eating over a defined period
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to show or find the difference between things that are compared
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the lack or denial of something considered to be a necessity
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make something that is bad even worse
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understanding where things are in relation to other things
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the ability to produce the desired result
TED TALK VIDEO
Watch the video and answer the questions.
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How do we call the phenomenon when adults grow new nerve cells?
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How many neurons does an average person produce per day?
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Why did patients who were cured of their cancer still develop symptoms of depression?
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Does learning increase or decrease the growth of new neurons?
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What type of food and drinks should we consume if we want to increase the growth of our neurons?
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