Brain and Testicle

[JesusA (imported)]

An article published today in the journal Open Biology (sponsored by The Royal Society) explores the genetic relationship between the human brain and testis with some very interesting findings. Here are the opening paragraphs of the article, with publication information and a link to the article below:

The human body is an orchestrated set of different organs that work together, contributing to the maintenance of overall health and homeostasis. The human brain is the control center of the nervous system, playing a critical coordination role. It receives signals from sensory organs and translates them into functional information to multiple physiological compartments such as muscles and glands. In addition, the brain is also responsible for speech production, memory storage, and the elaboration of thought and emotion. The human testis is the male gonad, and is of the utmost importance for reproduction and species evolution. It has two main functions: production of gametes (sperm) and synthesis/secretion of hormones (primarily, testosterone).

Despite these clearly dissimilar functions and the apparent structural and morphological differences between human brain and testis, in the last four decades it has become increasingly evident that these tissues share several features. The similarity was further confirmed by analysis of gene expression, with evidence that human brain and testis, among all the organs of the body, share the highest number of genes. More recently, authors found a positive correlation between general intelligence and three key measures of semen quality: sperm concentration, sperm count and sperm motility. A possible association between male sexual dysfunction and neurological disorders was also proposed by several authors. These findings raise some interesting questions. (i) Why do the human brain and testis share a similar gene expression profile? (ii) Have these tissues a similar cellular organization and cooperation between cell types? (iii) Are their functions related? (iv) What are the implications of the similarities between human brain and testis?

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Matos B, Publicover SJ, Castro LFC, Esteves PJ, Fardilha M. (2021). Brain and testis: more alike than previously thought? Open Biology 11: 200322. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.200322

(https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.200322)

Who now will be the first to argue that we've always known that males think with their balls???

[Losethem (imported)]

Please tell me this was published on April 1.

[T van Keel (imported)]

That's not completely new news, as it is well known that the are quite a number of men who use their balls for thinking instead of their brain.

[Valery_V (imported)]

Please tell me this was published on April 1.

Brain and testis: more alike than previously thought?

Bárbara Matos, Stephen J. Publicover, Luis Filipe C. Castro, Pedro J. Esteves and Margarida Fardilha

Published: 02 June 2021

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.200322

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

No wonder my balls make all of my decisions during sexual excitement. I always thought that was nature ensuring that we kept on reproducing, no matter what the circumstances or hardships faced by humans and their offspring. To preserve and continue the species at all costs.

It makes sense that our balls make the sperm that triggers a fertile egg to grow a disproportionately large and complex brain so early in the development of a human fetus. Initially the brain is overwhelming the body of the fetus. A sperm and egg must ignite that intensive brain growth in some, as yet, unknown way. 100 years from now, scientists will marvel at how little we know today.

[Valery_V (imported)]

No wonder my balls make all of my decisions during sexual excitement. I always thought that was nature ensuring that we kept on reproducing, no matter what the circumstances or hardships faced by humans and their offspring. To preserve and continue the species at all costs.

It makes sense that our balls make the sperm that triggers a fertile egg to grow a disproportionately large and complex brain so early in the development of a human fetus. Initially the brain is overwhelming the body of the fetus. A sperm and egg must ignite that intensive brain growth in some, as yet, unknown way. 100 years from now, scientists will marvel at how little we know today.

All live arises at the micro level. The tree grows from a small seed.

A sperm and egg contain all necessary information and mechanisms to construct all organism at the macro level!

[Keineier (imported)]

I have no opinion on the scientific validity of this report. I will say, however, I have always found it interesting that two organs have in the lining cells of their capillaries the cellular features necessary to isolate the organ from selected substances in the blood. While the Blood-Brain Barrier is fairly well known, few laypeople know that there is also a Blood-Testis Barrier. If constituents of the cells that produce spermatozoa could leave the testicle, the immune system would create antibodies against them. If the membrane then allowed the antibodies to go back into the testicle, it could be destroyed by them.

I don't know if this has any applicability to this paper. I've just always found it interesting.

[Valery_V (imported)]

I have no opinion on the scientific validity of this report. I will say, however, I have always found it interesting that two organs have in the lining cells of their capillaries the cellular features necessary to isolate the organ from selected substances in the blood. While the Blood-Brain Barrier is fairly well known, few laypeople know that there is also a Blood-Testis Barrier. If constituents of the cells that produce spermatozoa could leave the testicle, the immune system would create antibodies against them. If the membrane then allowed the antibodies to go back into the testicle, it could be destroyed by them.

I don't know if this has any applicability to this paper. I've just always found it interesting.

I understood almost nothing. I have a technical education. But a very interesting topic. Thank you.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

He is talking about the barrier between the brain and the rest of a man s body that selectively allows some materials to pass into the brain but not other materials. The same is true of men s testicals having a similar barrier that allows some materials to pass into the testis and blocks other materials. For example, since sperm cells lack a man s entire chromozone sequence, the man s body and immune system view sperm as unrecognised cells in his body and attack them as foreign invading cells, like bacteria. Only the blood testis barrier keeps men s own immune system from attacking and destroying his own sperm in his balls. Similarly. The process of creating sperm inside the testicals requires sperm producing cells to at some point grow immature sperm that lack a man s complete genetic sequence. To allow half of a man s genetics to bond with half of a woman s genetics to create a new baby. These sperm producing cells are protected by the blood testis barrier, to prevent men s own immune system from attacking his own testicles. Modern science knows these barriers do exist. But is unsure of the exact mechanism or how to repair them if they become a defective barrier that allows the immune system to attack the testis interior cells or sperm.

[Valery_V (imported)]

He is talking about the barrier between the brain and the rest of a man s body that selectively allows some materials to pass into the brain but not other materials. The same is true of men s testicals having a similar barrier that allows some materials to pass into the testis and blocks other materials. For example, since sperm cells lack a man s entire chromozone sequence, the man s body and immune system view sperm as unrecognised cells in his body and attack them as foreign invading cells, like bacteria. Only the blood testis barrier keeps men s own immune system from attacking and destroying his own sperm in his balls. Similarly. The process of creating sperm inside the testicals requires sperm producing cells to at some point grow immature sperm that lack a man s complete genetic sequence. To allow half of a man s genetics to bond with half of a woman s genetics to create a new baby. These sperm producing cells are protected by the blood testis barrier, to prevent men s own immune system from attacking his own testicles. Modern science knows these barriers do exist. But is unsure of the exact mechanism or how to repair them if they become a defective barrier that allows the immune system to attack the testis interior cells or sperm.

Thank you so much sir! I always follow your explanations ... Did nature have enough time for the existence of the Universe for all this to be formed in a random way ?! It is interesting what modern scientists have to say about this.