Maintain Your Brain And Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

678 Nuns Participate In Study

Understanding Alzheimer's disease and how to treat it is the goal of many scientists, medical personnel and others who are studying this problem.

Looking For Ways To Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

In progress since 1986, one of the most notable long-term studies on Alzheimer’s disease 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. There ae scientists from other universities also participating in this study.

The focus of this study is to determine the causes of Alzheimer's disease and figure out ways to prevent it. To help do this, each of the 678 participants agreed to participate in annual assessments of their cognitive and physical function, plus have medical exams and blood drawn for genetic and nutritional studies. When they die, all the participants in the Nun Study have also agreed to donate their brains for neuropathological studies.

Since everyone in this group are non-smokers, drink little if any alcohol, have the same marital status and reproductive history, have lived in similar housing, held similar jobs, and had similar access to preventive and medical care, it makes them easier to study. Contending with subjects from various backgrounds and diverse environments, medical history and lifestyle makes most studies more difficult. It's easier to figure out the results when all these variable are gone, as they are with the group of nuns.

Research Discoveries

It's already been discovered through this research that traits in early, mid, and late life 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?

How To Prevent Alzheimer's Symptoms

This leading researcher on Alzheimer's disease, 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. In other words, 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.

Researchers say the way to prevent Alzheimer’s is build your reserve of neurons, synapses, and skills -- your Cognitive Reserve. But how can we do that? Just what provides good "brain exercise" or constitutes a challenging mental activity?

To be considered effective at building CR, an activity must:

1. Engage your attention.
2. Involve more than one of your senses.
3. Break a routine activity in an unexpected way.

One example of a good way to build your CR is learning a new language. Changing your environment by moving or traveling is another. Taking challenging classes, a job that makes you use your mind, even increased physical activity can all lead to increased neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons), thereby increasing your Cognitive Reserve.

Almost any challenging activity can, in fact, contribute to building your CR. Some activities might make physical demands. Some may have interpersonal demands. Others may have challenging levels of cognitive complexity (thinking and learning). Keep your brain active:Build Your Cognitive Reserve with Brain Games.

Use Your Brain To Keep It Active.

From all the research, it seems that the more you use your brain, the better it continues to function. 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.

Keep some challenges in your life and prevent Alzheimer's disease!