Trying to peer into the workings of the brain, many scientists, medical personnel and others trying to understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease. They want to know how to treat it and how to prevent it.
Figuring Out The Disease
One of the most notable long-term studies on Alzheimer’s disease has been in progress since 1986 and is funded by the National Institute on Aging. Giving rise to the project’s nickname of ‘The Nun Study”, the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato, MN, are the subjects of the research. This research is a collaborative effort between the nuns there and the University of Kentucky, under the directorship of Dr. David Snowdon. Along with them, scientists at other universities are helping with the study.
Figuring out the cause of Alzheimer's and how to prevent it are the goals of this study. Each of the 678 participants agreed to participate in annual assessments of their cognitive and physical function to help achieve this. They also must have medical exams and blood drawn for genetic and nutritional studies. They have also agreed to donate their brains for neuropathological studies when they die.
t makes them easier to study since the nuns have all lived in similar housing, held similar jobs, and had similar access to preventive and medical care, plus all are non-smokers, drink little if any alcohol, and have the same marital status and reproductive history. Contending with subjects from various backgrounds and diverse environments, medical history and lifestyle makes most studies more difficult. These variables are missing with the nuns, making it easier to figure out results.
Research Results
Traits in early, mid, and late life have already been shown by this research to have strong relationships with the risk of Alzheimer's disease, as well as the mental and cognitive disabilities of old age. The big question is what research indicates YOU can do to prevent getting Alzheimer’s symptoms?
Coping With Alzheimer's Disease
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.”
You Need To Build Your Cognitive Reserve (CR)
The ability to tolerate progressive brain pathology without demonstrating clinical cognitive symptoms is called Cognitive Reserve. To put it a different way, Cognitive Reserve is how your brain resists any physical changes caused by Alzheimer’s disease so you don’t have any of the usual symptoms like memory loss.
Building your reserve of neurons, synapses and skills - your Cognitive Reserve, is the best way to prevent Alzheimer's disease according to researchers. The question is, how can we do that? After all, what exactly is a good "brain exercise" or challenging mental activity?
To build CR effectivey, an activity must:
- Engage your attention.
- Involve more than one of your senses.
- Break a routine activity in an unexpected way.
Learning a new language is just one of many examples of a great way to build your CR. Traveling to change your environment is another. An occupation that engages your mind, taking challenging classes, or even increased physical activity can result in increased neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons), thereby increasing your Cognitive Reserve.
Your Cognitive Reserve can, in fact, be built by almost any challenging activity. Some activities may have challenging levels of cognitive complexity (thinking and learning), while others might have interpersonal or physical demands. Keep challenging your brain:Build Your Cognitive Reserve with Brain Games.
Look For Challenges To Keep Your Brain Sharp.
The more you use your brain, according to the research, the better it continues to work. Your brain may show full-blown physical symptoms of the disease, but by building up your Cognitive Reserve with learning and other challenging experiences, your chances of never showing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s increases.
Keep yourself challenged and prevent Alzheimer's disease!
No comments:
Post a Comment