Dr Tim Beanland
Head of Knowledge Management, Alzheimer’s Society
Promoting brain health over the life course offers hope for better cognitive ageing and reduced dementia risk.
The rising prevalence of dementia and its devastating impact can lead to some nihilism, but new disease-modifying Alzheimer’s treatments and discoveries offer hope. Up to 40% of dementia could be prevented through better brain health.
Improving brain health
The ‘brain health’ agenda has emerged in response to global population ageing coupled with support from advances in neuroscience. Brain health has various definitions, based on cognition, function or (absence of) brain pathology. These often correlate, but not always.
Brain health is affected by lifestyle at all ages, meaning that a dynamic ‘life course’ approach to it is needed. It is never too early to start improving brain health, but benefits accrue from starting at any age.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, and one in three people born today will get it. It’s no surprise there is huge interest in what might help to reduce one’s risk.
Healthy heart, healthy head
The brain is 2% of our body weight but uses 20% of all our energy. Brain health thus tracks cardiovascular health closely. Promoting both means regular physical activity, a healthy balanced diet, not smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol.
Recent research shows the importance of sleep (seven to eight hours a night recommended) and probably hearing loss (common and correctable) in dementia risk. Traumatic brain injury is another emerging risk factor.
It’s no surprise there is huge interest in
what might help to reduce one’s risk.
Brain plasticity
A second route to a healthier brain relies on its innate ability to adapt at multiple scales over time. Such neuroplasticity is greatest in childhood but is retained throughout life.
Regular mental and social activity is thought to rely on neuroplasticity to strengthen neural pathways and build up ‘cognitive reserve.’ A more resilient brain can tolerate more pathology before symptoms of dementia break through.
Exercising the brain
Activities that build up cognitive reserve can be linked to a delay in dementia of several years. They include learning a musical instrument or new language, volunteering and playing puzzles. Any regular activity that requires attention and challenges the brain will likely bring benefits.
Challenging different aspects of brain function is thought to be optimal for building a broad-based cognitive reserve. My book ‘Mind Games’ includes puzzles designed to exercise a range of cognitive domains: memory and skills using pictures, words, numbers and logic.
Better brain health and reduced dementia risk require change, as individuals and as a society; the rewards could be huge.
