I think it would be pretty much 100% agreement that everyone wants to prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Basics of Good Health
Better healthcare starts with following the basics. There’s all kinds of news in health about the importance of a good diet and exercise program for optimum health. However, you can do much more to protect yourself from Alzheimer’s.
As the nuns in the study we talked about in yesterday’s post, one of the keys seems to be keeping your mind active.
More News In Health On Preventing Alzheimer’s Symptoms
A leading researcher on Alzheimer’s, Dr. Yaakov Stern, says, “Individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives, through education, occupation and leisure activities, have reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Studies suggest that they have 35-40% less risk of manifesting the disease. The pathology will still occur, but they are able to cope with it better. Some won’t ever be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s because they don’t present any symptoms. In studies that follow healthy elders over time and (who) then get autopsies, up to 20% of people who did not present any significant problem in the daily lives have full blown Alzheimer’s pathology in their brains.”
So you can technically have Alzheimer’s, but because you kept your mind active, your chances of having the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease – the memory loss, disorientation and personality changes – are much less.
Building Your Cognitive Reserve (CR)
The ability to tolerate progressive brain pathology without demonstrating clinical cognitive symptoms is called Cognitive Reserve. In other words, the ability of the brain to resist the changes caused by Alzheimer’s so that you don’t show any symptoms, is called Cognitive Reserve. The brain is tolerating the disease so it doesn’t show signs of actually having the disease.
Researches say the way to better healthcare by preventing Alzheimer’s symptoms is to build your reserve of neurons, synapses, and skills – your Cognitive Reserve. But how can we do that? What exactly constitutes a “mentally stimulating activity” or a good “brain exercise”?
To be considered effective at building CR, an activity must:
- Engage your attention.
- Involve more than one of your senses.
- Break a routine activity in an unexpected way.
Some examples might be learning a new language, or visiting a museum and then discussing it with a friend, or even shopping without a list. These are all likely to increase your cognitive reserve.
In fact, almost any challenging activity can contribute to this cognitive reserve. Some activities may have challenging levels of cognitive complexity (thinking and learning), and some might have interpersonal or physical demands.
Changing your environment by travel for instance, taking classes, an occupation that engages your mind, or even increased physical activity can result in increased neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons) and thus increase your CR.
No Matter How Old You Are – Start Building Your CR!
“No matter one’s age, education and occupation, our level of participation in leisure activities has a significant and cumulative effect. A key message here is that different activities have independent, synergistic, contributions, which means the more things you do and the earlier you start, the better. But you are never stuck: better late than never,” says Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Stern.
So the younger you start working your mind, the better your chances of preventing Alzheimer’s symptoms. But it’s never too late to start working on your Cognitive Reserve!
Use It Or Lose It
The research all seems to indicate the more you use your brain, the better it functions. Even if your brain shows full-blown physical symptoms of the disease, building up your Cognitive Reserve by learning and other challenging experiences increases your chances of never showing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s,
And meeting that goal is a worthwhile challenge. So keep learning and thinking!
Fackelmann, K. USA Today article on research of Ronald Petersen of The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn. March 18, 2008
Sharp Brains
Stern Y, Albert S, Tang MX, Rate of Memory Decline in AD is related to education and occupation. Neurology. 1999; 53:1942-1957.
