One More Reason to Exercise

An estimated 35.6 million people live with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, a number that is predicted to double every 20 years. Research indicates that exercise can help stave off Alzheimer's disease and dementia. People who exercised at least mildly decreased their risk of developing dementia by 29% to 41%. Those who were very physically active decreased their dementia risk by 37% to 50%. Sounds like a good reason to get out there and take a walk.

Exercising your mind can also help keep dementia at bay. Researchers found that seniors in their 70s and 80s who exercised their cognitive skills every day by reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games or participating in group discussions delayed dementia. In fact, each daily cognitive activity delayed dementia by two months. or more!

Free Memory Screenings Available Tomorrow

Of the many problems and diseases that can afflict us as we age, Alzheimer's disease -- the loss of memory and mental acuity -- is most feared by older Americans. Despite those fears, the overwhelming majority of people with memory concerns have never discussed their problems with their doctor. That's the finding of a recent survey conducted by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

Tomorrow, November 13, on National Memory Screening Day, sites throughout the country will offer free, confidential memory screenings in concert with the Alzheimer's Foundation. The annual event was initiated five years ago to raise public awareness about Alzheimer's Disease.

Last year 21,000 people participated in the free, confidential memory screenings at more than 700 health care sites across the country. Click here for more information and to locate a free screening site near you.

If you have questions or concern about memory loss, I urge you to attend a free, confidential memory screening tomorrow. There are many new treatments and techniques available now that can help and delay memory loss, but researchers say the earlier you start the better. Don't delay any longer. Do this for yourself and your loved ones.

Brain Games Ward Off Dementia

Brain health is the big new thing in senior health. People are living longer and they want to retain their full mental capacity as they age. Studies have found that there's a certain amount of truth to the adage "use it or lose it." Activities that force you to think quickly or switch from one type of brain activity to another (from reading to drawing, for example) appear to help ward off dementia.

Tuned into the fact that boomers are aging, game companies are starting to market brain games aimed at the growing senior market. Nintendo has come out with Brain Age which provides a changing series of activities that promote rapid calculation and rapid reading. Other game makers are jumping on the band wagon. On the internet you'll find lots of mind-bending sites to keep your brain active.

Here are some things you can do to keep your brain healthy and happy:

• Get out and exercise. Aerobic exercise pumps up your heart rate and sends more blood and oxygen to your brain.


• Lose those extra pounds. Obese middle-agers are twice as likely to develop dementia. High blood pressure and high cholesterol also increase your risk of dementia.


• Eat more brain food. Foods rich in antioxidants cleanse the brain of free radicals which can eat away at neuron connections. Add leafy veggies like spinach, broccoli and cauliflower to your diet. Don't forget antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries, strawberries and cranberries. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like trout and salmon also fight brain decay.


• Get on the computer. Brain specialists have developed brain training programs to give your neurons a good workout. Sold mostly to retirement communities but available to individuals, Posit Science offers BrainFitness for $395. A bit more affordable, MindFit can be downloaded from http://www.cognifit.com/ for $129.


• Play video games. Time to join the grandkids in front of the video screen and get your game on. Nintendo offers Brain Age and Mattel sells Radica Brain Games.


• Play online. Crank up the computer and visit an online brain gym for some cerebral exercise. Some good websites to try: BrainBuilder.com, Braingle.com, Eons.com, HappyNeuron.com and MyBrainTrainer.com.

"Bushy Brains" Function Longer and Better

Did you know that a healthy brain is like a fat bush with lots of slender, criss-crossing branches? That's the fascinating image drawn by reporter Lauran Neergaard of the Associated Press in an article explaining brain function and what happens to the brain as we age. (See our October 16, 2007 post.)

As we learn, branchlike tentacles grow from the ends of the brain's cells, like shoots sprouting from a seed, crossing and overlapping to create communication connections. The more we learn, the more branches and the more connections. In other words, we develop a "bushy" brain.

As we age, the brain cells (or seeds) don't die as they do in Alzheimer's Disease, but their branches often shrivel to skinny twigs. Without the multiple intertwining branches that enable communication, cells are less connected and have a harder time sending and receiving messages. For example, you may know someone's name but not be able to recall it.

Aging targets a different part of the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, than Alzheimer's. Interestingly, the brain has developed two methods of fighting the changes caused by aging. The curiosity, scientists say, is that brains are highly individual regarding which method they use to heal themselves and the extent to which healing occurs, if it does.

• Bushy brains. Some brains have developed so many connectors, or branches, that they remain largely unaffected by the ravages of age or even Alzheimer's damage. "Striking autopsy studies have found that between 20% and 40% of older people who displayed no confusion actually had brains riddled with Alzheimer's trademark plaques," wrote Neergaard. Apparently, their brains had developed so many connections that even the death of some neurons from Alzheimer's left plenty of neurons still able to maintain normal brain function. This ability of the brain to maintain function in the face of attack is called "cognitive reserve."
  


• By-pass brains. Some brains simply by-pass damaged or dead brain cells and neural pathways. If a pathway stops functioning, the brain finds an alternate pathway to maintain communication. "Brain scans show younger people tend to use different neural networks than older people when performing the same task," Neergaard wrote. Scientists speculate that when neural pathways break down as we age, the brain may seek out alternate routes used during our younger years. There is also evidence that the brain may build new pathways when old ones cease to function.

Can Science Put an End to "Senior Moments"?

As we age, some people's brains stay sharp, others get a little fuzzy. We're not talking about changes caused by dementia or Alzheimer's, just the normal wear and tear that happens over the years -- you know, what people euphemistically call "senior moments." My Grandmother was sharp as a tack until her death at 98. My Dad, now 83, seems to spend many of his days in a state of muzzy confusion, not certain what day it is, what happened yesterday or where he left things. Scientists want to know why age affects our brains differently.

As our population grays, the question becomes increasingly critical. Most people in their 60s today can easily expect to live into their mid-80s. Most people in their 50s will still be blowing out birthday candles well into their 90s. Improvements in health care insure that our bodies will keep on chugging; it's time science made sure our brains can keep up.

That was the focus of a recent gathering of brain specialists organized by the National Institute on Aging to explore promising research. "We need to understand how to defer normal cognitive aging ... the way we've invested in fighting heart disease and cancer," said Dr. Denise Park, director of the University of Illinois Center for Healthy Minds.

The only sure-fire method of maintaining mental acuity documented so far is physical exercise. Other promising options targeted for further study include:

• possible benefits of brain-training games like crossword puzzles and sudoku,
• medications that might strengthen neural networks in the brain, and
• methods for encouraging the brain to build new pathways when old ones disintegrate or are damaged by aging, a process that naturally occurs in some brains.

For now, get out there and walk or get some other physical exercise at least three times a week. In a study, 72 -year-olds who walked three times a week significantly improved brain activity. Brain scans showed activity levels similar to those of much younger adults. So what are you waiting for? Get moving!

Hormone Therapy May Forestall Dementia in Younger Women

If taken soon after menopause, new research suggests that hormone therapy may help protect women against dementia. However, if not started until you're older, the drugs can increase the risk of mental decline. While current medical wisdom says that hormone-replacement therapy will not protect you against diseases associated with aging, new findings suggest that the timing of treatment may be a key factor, particularly for heart attacks and dementia.

Released this month at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, experts cautioned that the new study is preliminary. More testing is required before recommending hormone therapy for younger women to stave off dementia. The study was conducted in conjunction with the massive Women's Health Initiative which tracked 7,153 women for breast cancer and heart disease.

In recent studies, there has been mounting evidence that women in their 50s who take hormones close to the onset of menopause may receive a greater benefit and confront less risk than older women. In the study, dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, was reduced by half in women who took hormones before age 65. Past research has shown that women who take hormones after age 65 experience a 75% increased risk of dementia.

Loneliness Increases Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Loneliness and social isolation seem to be at the root of many of the horrific headlines in the news these days. We are social animals and depend on the affection, stimulation and reassurance of our fellows whether we are struggling teenagers, alienated adults, or just lonely seniors. Emotional isolation is a serious problem, particularly as we age. Our spouse dies, our friends start to die, our faculties fail us, we lose our independence, we may have to move in with family in a distant city far from everything we know, or we may have to move into a nursing home with complete strangers.

New research in the Archives of General Psychiatry has linked loneliness to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Social isolation has already been associated with dementia. Living alone, having few friends, participating in few activities with others -- all are behaviors that can lead a person to separate from society and disassociate from life.

Experts define emotional isolation as being dissatisfied with social
interactions, social isolation as lacking them entirely.

In a four-year study that tracked 823 elderly individuals, researches found that people with a high degree of loneliness were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's symptoms. In some way as yet unexplained, loneliness damages the brain, leading to the development of Alzheimer's symptoms, researchers believe.

Loneliness and feelings of isolation are signs of clinical depression which can be successfully treated in 80% of cases. Unfortunately, too many older Americans think depression is a normal part of aging, something they can "handle," and never seek treatment. Depression is not a state of mind. You cannot talk yourself out of depression. It is a symptom of a chemical imbalance in the brain and is highly treatable with a combination of drug and counseling therapies. If you are feeling lonely, or if someone you know seems to have isolated himself, please take them to a doctor or mental health professional for help.