Prof Amadi Ihunwo has a fascination with the human – and animal – brain. The Visiting Scientist at AKU’s Brain and Mind Institute developed this interest after his undergraduate degree in Anatomy. While working as a graduate assistant at Nigeria’s University of Jos, Professor Nikolay Dimitrov from Bulgaria introduced him to dissecting the human brain. From that point on, neuroscience became his life’s work.

While pursuing his PhD in Anatomy at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda, he studied the brains of Transgenic Tg2576 animal model of Alzheimer’s disease at the Paul Flechsig Institute for Brain Research, University of Leipzig, and thereafter, the brains of several species of mammals and birds at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. It started off with looking at rodent brain and to prove that new brain cells are generated in its growth process. 

“Luckily for me, I had started interacting with the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN), which provided support through workshops to look at how to study those areas. What started off as just looking at the rodent was boosted by the grant I had under the Swiss and South Africa Joint Research Programme,” he says.

Prof Amadi says that learning never ends. This is attributed to the fact that while the brain generates new cells at a fast rate early on in life, it declines with age but does not stop. 

Here’s what Prof Amadi had to share about his latest research and the value he brings to AKU.

If the brain can generate new cells, why then do we have neurological diseases like dementia?

The ideal word to explain that is plasticity. Neuroplasticity. That means, subject to what the brain is exposed to, as its own response, it changes the generation of neurons and where we have synapses. A synapse is where the neurons meet and communicate. If you look around the mechanism around dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, there are several things. For example, in Alzheimer’s, something called a plaque is deposited. When it starts being deposited, the brain tries to fight it. So, the brain will always respond. But we have to introduce the brain to an activity, for it to respond and fight against the disease. 

The only problem is that we don’t usually know when this happens. It tends to take a longer time compared to if you are undergoing a surgery. The brain doesn’t go as fast as we expect a wound from surgery to heal, it takes a longer time. That is where plasticity comes in. It keeps remoulding itself and adjusting to what has happened.

Does this tie in with your latest research?

Yes. For example, I have looked at exercise. Exercise not only helps the physical body, it is also good for the brain. One of the effects of exercise is increased blood circulation. The brain is one area that needs a lot of blood at any point in time. This is because of the high level of metabolic activity that is taking place in the brain.

The interesting thing is that my area of research is now becoming relevant when looking at neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries. Examples of neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The onset of these diseases do sometimes result in loss of brain cells, known as neurons in certain specific functioning units in the brain. The research question therefore, will then include how to intervene and create an environment for some generation or regeneration of the neurons to occur.

What led you to the Brain and Mind Institute? 

First of all, my involvement in academic neuroscience societies and the activities that are undertaken. For example, the Society for Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA), the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN). We are looking at scenarios where we move out of the lab and get brain matters to the public. 

We needed stakeholders at university-level and also policy makers. We know that there are issues and factors that affect mental wellness. We cannot appreciate brain health, disease and wellness without engaging from the academic stand point. 

In 2019 at the IBRO World Conference, one of my presentations was how to engage policy makers in issues of brain wellness. I believe that the Brain and Mind Institute within a university setting, gives me an opportunity to see how to increase that engagement. You see, anything to do with the brain is always multidisciplinary. It is not just one department that can manage that. We need that collective environment where you have different role players to take this information out to the community.

Would you then say some of the key issues BMI will address in Africa will have to do with policy?

The Brain and Mind Institute must be prepared to engage policy makers, to get out of the university environment and reach out to the community. I always say, the mental wellness of the people is very important. And we need to play a role in that area.

How would you define neuroscience in a simple way?

The word behaviour comes in. Our behaviours are influenced by different environmental exposure. We may not be able to see our brains, but we need to know that it’s there and it is part of our body. We need to start asking questions on how the brain works. The brain plays a big role in dictating our movement, moods, decisions, actions, and so much more. Neuroscience creates that opportunity to understand how the brain works, which in turn influences how we behave. The way the brain works is that the more you engage it with activity, the more the brain responds to you.

What’s the difference between the brain and the mind, if any?

I will give an example. If you want to move your hand, there is a part of the brain that controls the movement of your hand in the cerebrum. If you decide to walk, or play an instrument, the cerebrum and cerebellum will have to execute it. There is also the part of the brain that operates on  what we call, circuits. This is the part of the brain that deals with behaviours, emotions and so on. This is what people will relate with as the mind component. It is called the limbic system. It is a system within the nervous system.

What is one thing people do not know about you?

I like travelling and I love flying. I had a brief one-year engagement with the Nigerian Air Force as a cadet. My third year in my undergraduate training, was sponsored by the Nigerian Air Force. I’d been privileged to fly in an air force jet and so I am always excited when I fly. I had a friend who was a helicopter pilot and one who was a jet fighter pilot. I had to fly with them and in my third year during holidays, when I was expected to report at the air force base for training, they would fly me back to the campus. 

Neuroscience turned out to be a natural fit for you. If you were to choose a different profession, what would it be?

I would go into aviation. I would be a pilot.