Brain life capacity.

[Dave_84]

I have heard that the human brain has the capacity for living hundreds of years but since we obviously die before that we can´t. What is the maximum capacity for a human brain in term of living years.
With the question i mean if we had the medical skills for the human body to keep living where is the cap for the brain?

excuse my bad english.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, medically we are yet to determine the cap of the brain cells/ neirons. Other than the inherent capacity to survive, survival of neurons and supporting cells would also depend on a few factors such as nutritional supply, trauma by external agents etc. While most cells in the body are pre-programmed to die, medically termed as apoptosis; neurons usually exhibit a longer lifespan unless the external environment is affected. While on one hand a few cells such as cancer cells become ‘immortal’ by bypassing apoptosis, most cells do not survive beyond a few years; these just being areas of current medical research.
Hope this information is helpful.

Take care!