# I just learned something new. Did my brain just gain weight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126 "2012-02-27T06:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/21 "2012-02-27T15:47:50Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > i started looking in some books for the answer. i learned some new stuff in doing so. > > i will have to resume composing my answer later. typing has become difficult, my neck can no longer support the weight of my head and has plopped down on the table so i’m having to view things at a right angle to type and read the screen. i’ll be back after some neck exercises. You could use your hand on your forehead to support your neck. I have an illustration … :smack: Si ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/22 "2012-02-27T17:27:52Z")
That’s because you’re learning new things and your head is getting heavier. Empirical evidence. Case closed. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/23 "2012-02-27T17:59:06Z")
My eyelids just got heavier. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/24 "2012-02-27T18:31:58Z")
If I need to make more brains when I learn, then shouldn’t I be eating brains? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/25 "2012-02-27T19:45:42Z")
If CSF is part of your brain, then do you consider pee to be part of your body? Adult neurogenesis only as far as we know occurs in the hippocampus and olfactory (and taste?) cells. No new neurons actually grow that we know of. But in fact, once a brain cell dies, you _may_ gain weight if new non-neuron cells are generated to “clean up the mess” like astrocytes or microglia. And the hippocampus is tiny and mainly involved in making new memories (or remaking which occurs during study). Once it becomes a long term memory, it is distributed in the cortex in various places. What more likely occurs is that new connections are formed between neurons. It allows an association between occurrences. So it’s not like you plugged more wires into your TV, but that you just made more cross-connections with the same wires so that your amplifier works with your cable box. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126/26 "2012-02-27T21:00:27Z")
There is also dendrite growth in adults and sometimes they create new branches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-something-new-did-my-brain-just-gain-weight/614126.md?page=1)