Posts Tagged ‘stress management’
An interesting article appeared in the New York Times over the weekend. The article by Katie Hafner is titled “Exercise Your Brain or Else You’ll . . .Uh . . .” You can find the original article here (registration is required, but is free).
The article recounts several incidents in which people over 50 had troubling memory problems. One man, for example, couldn’t remember his own address when he went to send a package, and a woman who couldn’t locate her cell phone later found it in the refrigerator. Do these kinds of memory lapses mean that these persons have serious memory problems? The answer is, “It depends.” One memory lapse doesn’t mean very much. But a pattern of memory problems over a period to time may mean that someone’s memory isn’t as good as it used to be. Even if that’s true, though, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has a serious brain illness such as Alzheimer’s disease. Only a complete evaluation by a well-trained clinician can make that decision.
One issue the article highlights is how people over 50 or so may be more concerned than younger people about memory lapses. Put simply, people over 50 are more likely to worry about brain fitness. I have the pleasure of working with several young people in the Center on Aging. I notice that they may have memory lapses, but they don’t worry about them nearly as much as some of the people who come to our Memory Disorders Clinic for evaluation of their memory. They’re young, and if they forget something they don’t automatically worry about it. For them, it’s just a lapse. For someone over 50, the same kind of lapse is ground for worry. I’m not suggesting that if you’re over 50 and you’re worried (or your spouse and family are worried) about your memory you shouldn’t do something about it. I am suggesting that people over 50 may worry more about their memories. The New York Times article goes on to talk about how worry about cognitive fitness and cognitive decline or memory problems is feeding interest in brain fitness software.
If you’re worried about your memory, the best thing to do is find a qualified clinician who can complete a screening evaluation. Tests of memory and other cognitive abilities can help you find out where you stand in relation to other persons who are similar to you. This can help you decide whether your memory problem needs to be treated. And if you have a memory problem, a knowledgeable clinician may help you find out what’s causing it. Some memory problems are caused by problems such as mood problems, stress, or other treatable conditions. Getting the treatment you need may help.
No matter what you believe about computer-based cognitive training and what it can do for you (see previous post), it’s pretty clear that computer training isn’t the only answer to the question of how to keep your brain fit as you get older. Exercise and physical activity are pretty clearly related to cognitive function in people over 50. There are even some prospective studies that show that increasing physical activity can improve your mental abilities.
A recent update to a systematic review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews once again confirms this (Angevaren, M., et al., Physical activity and enhanced fitness to improve cognitive function in older people. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, 2008). Animal studies have shown that exercise has multiple physical effects on basic biological processes that can improve memory and cognition. Improved aerobic fitness (being able to do things like walking, running, or swimming) increases blood flow to the brain as well as the body’s ability to get oxygen from the blood. Exercise also activates substances called growth factors in the body. These factors causes cells to grow, and may increase the number of blood vessels in the brain. Human research shows that similar mechanisms may be at work in older adults.
Several meta-analyses (special studies that look at the results of multiple studies all at once) have shown a relation of physical activity of mental abilities including memory. Although many of these studies are correlational (this means that they show us which factor causes the improvement), there are also some prospective studies of exercise in older adults. These have shown that people who improve their physical fitness also improve their mental fitness. Brain fitness is more than computer-based training.
For a long time, those interested in helping older adults do well have known the importance of assessing many aspects of someone’s functioning. When addressing a physical problem, for example, an alert doctor would look not only at an older person’s blood tests, but also how well they can care for themselves, how well they get around, and whether there’s anyone around to help them if they need it. This kind of assessment might focus on someone’s physical status, but would also look at a number of other things. Fixing any problem the doctor finds is important in making sure the patient is functioning at the best level possible.
Brain fitness takes that same philosophy but instead of focusing on disease it focuses on taking you where you are and helping you get better. In a multidisciplinary brain fitness assessment, we look at a number of things that can affect how well you think or remember, not just memory. And the prescription isn’t just about memory or thinking — it may be about stress management, exercise, and changing your diet, too.
Latest
- Meditation as Brain Training
- Brain Fitness and The Mind of a Monk
- Brain Fitness Tip: Training Without a Computer
Mindfulness meditation as practiced over a long period by experts makes clear changes in someone’s brain function. But what about those of us who don’t have a few years to sit in a monastery in the Himalayas? A new study shows that even brief meditation practice can improve attention.
I saw an interesting blog post yesterday evening on the site of the Huffington Post about the potential benefits of meditation – or at least about what one woman thinks might be the benefits. (more…)
Although many people are excited about the potential for using computers to train their brains, we shouldn’t forget that other techniques have been used to the train the brain for many centuries. I’m thinking about the large number of techniques for meditation. While free computer software still requires an investment in a computer, meditation only asks you to sit or lie quietly and focus your mind.
A recently-published study shows parts of the brain in long-term meditators are larger than the same parts of the brain in people who don’t meditate. The article by Eileen Luders and her colleagues appeared in a recent issue of the journal Neuroimage (Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 672-678, April 15, 2009). The study showed that portions of the orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus were larger in persons who had been regular meditators for 5 or more years. The study is interesting because the parts of the brain that were larger are often thought to be important in helping people keep themselves emotionally balanced.
A number of strategies are likely to be helpful for meditators. There has been a great deal of interest over the last several years in mindfulness meditation. Researchers have studied how it can be used in reducing anxiety and depression. Mindfulness is based on Buddhist meditation (for a brief article, click here) but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice meditation. In fact, one of the most important persons who has promoted mindfulness is Jon Kabat-Zinn, a researcher at the University of Massachusetts. You can see a video presentation by him on YouTube by clicking here.