| For some time now, we've been promoting the role | | | | blood-vessels in the brain. In this 12-year study, 3,400 |
| of a healthy lifestyle in maintaining brain fitness. | | | | men and women over age 65 volunteered for |
| Another new study lends more support, but before | | | | periodic cognitive testing and a brain autopsy upon |
| we get into that we thought we'd focus on some | | | | their death. In the 221 autopsies performed, |
| common-sense topics as to why this is true. | | | | researchers discovered that small blood vessel |
| One simple concept to understand that doesn't | | | | disease accounted for about 1/3 of the risk for |
| require a PhD is the fact that any organ in your | | | | dementia. Importantly, this type of small blood vessel |
| body, including your brain, needs a healthy blood | | | | disease may go unnoticed for some time. We're not |
| supply to access nutrients and oxygen. This is one | | | | talking about big events like a stroke or blood clot |
| reason why heart disease and mental health | | | | blocking a large vessel. However over time these |
| problems, including dementia are so often related. If | | | | small problems can add up, and result in cognitive |
| you tied a tourniquet around your leg to cut-off the | | | | impairment. |
| blood supply, you shouldn't be surprised when your | | | | Admittedly, this study comes from the Pacific |
| foot stops working to well. | | | | Northwest, the origin of grunge-rock and Starbucks |
| The same is true for your brain. If you continue to | | | | coffee. We can't be sure that all these people aren't |
| do things that are bad for your cardiovascular | | | | suffering from some kind of post-angst cognitive |
| system, like sit around all day and eat chips, your | | | | disorder, or a latent flannel shirt allergy! We also can't |
| vascular system will eventually have a problem, and | | | | rule out suffering from some sort of post-tramautic |
| this is not good news for your brain. In fact, your | | | | stress after invading the world with high-priced |
| brain uses about 20% of the oxygen that you | | | | coffee, equivalent to about $18.00 per gallon; slightly |
| breathe and the calories that you eat. Your blood | | | | more than we're currently paying for gas. In fact, |
| supply is responsible to get that stuff to the right | | | | one of us (Evans) was raised in Seattle and may be |
| place in order to keep your brain in good working | | | | showing some early symptomology. |
| operation. | | | | However, with these potential confounds aside |
| The benefits of life-long learning and continually | | | | (unless Austin Powers was right, and during the time |
| challenging your mind to keep it sharp are well | | | | that Dr. Evil was cryogenically preserved his faithful |
| established. But if you don't couple that effort with | | | | cronies invested heavily in Starbucks), this study is an |
| doing what's necessary to maintain a healthy | | | | incredibly important step that illustrates the diversity |
| neurovascular system, you cannot fully realize the | | | | of factors that can lead to dementia. Even more |
| benefit. You may have read a lot about neurogenesis | | | | importantly, it suggests that you can substantially |
| and synaptogenesis, which is the constant rewiring of | | | | decrease your odds of developing dementia by |
| your brain that occurs when you stay mentally active | | | | attending to life-style factors that can protect |
| and helps to keep your mind agile. However, this | | | | against vascular disease. |
| process can only work well if the blood vessels near | | | | The beauty is that we have a good idea of how to |
| all this rewiring are healthy enough to do their job. | | | | do this since blood vessels serve to supply active |
| Otherwise, where is the energy, nutrients and | | | | areas of the body with nutrients! So if your brain is |
| oxygen necessary for the remodeling job going to | | | | active (which requires energy), and you're maintaining |
| come from? | | | | your overall vascular health by eating right and |
| Think of neurogenesis as a new housing subdivision | | | | exercising, odds are that you will be greatly reducing |
| going into an existing community and the roads as | | | | your risk of developing dementia from small vessel |
| the blood supply to service the houses. If you were | | | | disease. Now it should be noted that research is |
| the builder constructing this new development you | | | | ongoing on this subject, but common sense would |
| wouldn't get very far if you didn't first attend to the | | | | suggest that this will hold true. |
| new roads. Not only are the roads needed for the | | | | Taken together this highlights some very important |
| new owners to get in and out of their homes; but | | | | reasons as to why exercise and nutrition play such a |
| they are needed for delivering all the lumber and | | | | crucial role in brain fitness. Attending to both of these |
| concrete, enabling the different crews to come in | | | | lifestyle factors is necessary to maintain a healthy |
| and construct the new houses, and take all the trash | | | | blood supply and the creation of new blood vessels, |
| away. Similarly, new brain cells or new brain cell | | | | in order to feed new brain circuits established by |
| connections need healthy roads (neurovascular | | | | learning and mental activity. If you neglect this aspect |
| system) to work right. | | | | of brain fitness, you may literally limit your ability to |
| Related to this, a recent large study, just unveiled | | | | benefit from neurogenesis and synaptogenesis |
| this month (April 2008) by Dr. Thomas Montine from | | | | induced by many of the 'brain-training' programs |
| the University of Washington, reports that 33% of | | | | designed to keep your mind young. |
| the risk of dementia stems from disease of small | | | | |