How to keep your brain healthy? Seven ways to make the brain work. Reinforce neural pathways with the right thoughts

With age brain activity each person gradually weakens, so many grandparents do not remember where they put the glasses, or forget to turn off the iron, switching to another task. Sometimes the consequences of a weakening of the brain are much worse - serious ones develop in older people, dementia and other degenerative disorders develop. But these violations are not inevitable. You can try to prevent them if you take care of your brain health in advance. So, what ways to keep the brain young do we know?

Stimulate mental activity

You need to exercise your brain every day. Especially if you are engaged in monotonous and routine work day after day. The brain is like a person - it gets used to solving the same tasks and eventually stops straining to achieve certain results. Consequently, it ceases to develop and either stands still or begins to degrade. Representatives of the charitable organization Age UK that mastering new skills can keep the sharpness of the mind on long years. How to achieve this? There are a great many ways.

Have you ever dreamed of learning Spanish? Start right now. There are many sites on the Internet where you can learn new languages on your own. If funds allow, find a good tutor. But most importantly, practice speaking, reading, listening and writing in a new language every day.
Draw. This is a skill that can be learned on your own. short time. There are many video tutorials on YouTube on how to draw people, animals, landscapes and much more. And sometimes you just need to arm yourself with a pencil and a piece of paper and let go of your imagination.
Solve puzzles. If you love math, solve problems. If you like puzzles, buy a set of 1000 pieces and collect them. If you are too lazy to solve mathematical problems or are indifferent to puzzles, download puzzles to your smartphone and practice on the subway while driving to work.
Learn to knit or sew. Imagine, you will not only learn how to knit and sew things for yourself and your loved ones on your own, but also contribute to maintaining optimal brain activity at an older age.

Don't neglect physical activity

Research shows that muscle strengthening and endurance training can also help your brain. Through regular exercise, the number of tiny blood vessels, which enrich the brain with oxygen, thereby maintaining its health. In addition, exercise stimulates the development of new nerve cells and increase connections between brain cells (synapses). The brain becomes more plastic, which is very good for a person of any age. It would not be superfluous to mention common good physical activity: they lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, help fight diabetes and stress. This means that sports are not only good for your brain, but also for your heart.

Explore the fitness clubs closest to your home or work, compare prices and services, choose the one that suits you in terms of availability, opening hours and cost. You can walk to Gym or attend group programs - now there are far more ways to exercise than reasons not to do it.
Sign up for a dance school. Dancing is an activity from which you will get incredible pleasure, as well as benefits. Your body will become more flexible, your muscles will become toned, and your mood will improve.
If it is not possible to sign up for a fitness club or go to dances, look for good sports grounds near your home, go for a morning or evening run in the park, do morning exercises. In our climate, it is not always possible to play outdoor sports, but in winter we have snow - get on your skis, snowboard or skates. Let sports become your daily pleasant habit.
Another budget-friendly way to exercise regularly is through YouTube video tutorials. Here you can find yoga lessons for beginners, home workouts with body weight, dumbbells and fitball, gymnastics.

Important: Try to avoid sports where you may be hit in the head (for example, football or boxing). This can lead to a concussion or other brain injury. Remember that frequent blows to the head develop pugilistic dementia (a disease caused by repeated concussion or traumatic blows to the head).

Keep track of your nutrition

We have already written more than once about how the right healthy eating our brain. But it will not be superfluous to say this again. Research results show benefits time after time proper diet. For example, mediterranean diet and the MIND diet reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment and slow down brain atrophy in old age. Of course, you do not need to severely limit yourself to your favorite dishes, even if they are not entirely healthy. Just follow the measure.

Include in your diet as much as possible fresh vegetables and fruits. Buy seasonal vegetables, cook soups, salads or stews from them. Get in the habit of eating a serving of fruit once a day.
Exclude fast food and Doshiraki. If you find it difficult to refuse this food, allow yourself to occasionally eat your favorite and harmful product. But remember that this momentary pleasure does not bring any tangible benefits to your body.
stop ordering prepared food on house. If you do not have time to cook, then it is better to use food delivery services for cooking. Their advantage is that you will not have extra products left, you will spend a minimum of time on cooking and, moreover, you will eat more or less balanced. It's much better than eating pizza every day.

Try to lead a healthy lifestyle

If you smoke, use frequently alcoholic drinks and sleep poorly, it will not bring anything good to your brain. Smoking negative effect for the work of the heart, lungs, vascular system including cerebral vessels. Alcohol affects the human body in different ways: it dehydrates, affects blood clotting, leads to pathological changes membranes of brain cells.

Try to quit smoking. If you have friends who got rid of this addiction ask them for advice. Try to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke, read Alain Carr in the end (maybe it will help). If you are unable to quit smoking on your own, try to see a doctor. This is a habit that harms your body, you need to get rid of it.
Do not abuse alcohol. Limit yourself to a glass of good red wine on a Friday night. Even scientists from California medical university in San Diego that a little wine won't hurt your brain. The main thing is to observe the measure.
Get enough sleep. Try to go to bed early and wake up early, get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. After a week of difficulties, the body will get used to this regimen.

Don't forget to measure your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol

If you follow the recommendations described above, then we believe that there will be no problems with blood pressure. However, do not forget this indicator, and in which case, think about how else it can be reduced - perhaps you do not get enough sleep or feel constant stress? Find the cause and deal with it. The same goes for blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Sometimes even healthy lifestyle life is not the normalization of these indicators. In this case, you need to contact a specialist who will prescribe a drug that helps stabilize sugar and cholesterol levels.

Meet and chat with friends

Go to visit, invite guests to your place, meet in a cafe, play with friends and relatives in Board games- communication with other people to reduce stress, blood pressure and increases life expectancy. You enjoy communicating with friends and family, and your brain becomes stronger. Try not to avoid people, do not become a recluse. Communicate not only with peers, but also with your grandparents. This is a double benefit - not only to yourself, but also to others.

A sick brain does not know what joy, love, knowledge of the world is. In other words, if a person's brain gets sick, then he loses everything for which he lives at all.

Brain tissues are 60% polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA). Previously, doctors did not see any connection between the fats we eat together and the fats that make up the brain. They believed that the brain has some kind of its own defense against the ingredients of our food. The opposite has already been proven. When a person eats too much bad fats, then there may be deviations in the work of the brain. The “right” fats must enter the body, which will contribute to normal functioning our brain. Ideally, this is the intake of Omega-6 and Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, the ratio of which is 1:1. Today, there is a certain imbalance in nature: for 20-30 grams of Omega-6 consumed, there is only 1 gram of Omega-3. A infant often receives from breast milk mothers and completely unacceptable value of Omega-6 (up to 45 grams).

The diet of people has undergone significant changes, which led to a lack of Omega-3. Moreover, this shortage sometimes reaches 80%. We have increased our consumption of omega-6 rich oils (sunflower, corn, etc.) and have reduced or even eliminated our consumption of flaxseed, hemp and soybean oils (rich in omega-3s). Modern man forced to buy fish grown in stores by artificial means, cereals, which were deprived during threshing of the core, which is rich in fats. In almost all products, a huge amount of sugar is added, and it takes part in the synthesis of enzymes along with fatty acids.

As a result of all this, these two acids fight among themselves for possession of the same enzymes. And the acid that enters the body more wins.

The imbalance of fatty acids in the body leads to a number of diseases, including autism, migraine, memory problems, schizophrenia, depression, and so on.

Therefore, nutrition professionals insist that we should add foods containing Omega-3 to our diet ( sea fish, seafood, eggs, flax seeds, nuts, soybeans, tofu, pumpkin, spinach, etc.). And in order to provide your body with high-quality Omega-6s, it is advised to buy high-quality cold-pressed vegetable oils, also eat eggs, nuts, poultry meat. Remember that the rate of fat intake is 1-1.3 grams per kilogram of weight! If you can't follow all the rules proper nutrition to maintain an optimal balance healthy fats take at least fish fat in capsules.

Basic Recipes folk methods cleansing of cerebral vessels

* For more effective cleansing vessels of the brain, it is desirable to first clean the intestines and liver.

Cleansing the vessels of the brain with garlic

This recipe will help both with sclerosis and with vasospasm and cardiac shortness of breath.
Crush the head of garlic and pour 1 cup of unrefined vegetable oil, let us insist a day in the refrigerator and begin cleaning the vessels of the brain.
1 teaspoon mixed with the same amount lemon juice, we accept the received healing mixture before meals, preferably three times a day for a course of 1 to 3 months.

An infusion of garlic and lemon is another great way to cleanse blood vessels.

Take a large head of garlic and two lemons. Peel and crush the garlic, squeeze the juice from the lemon. Pour the resulting mixture with 1 liter of warm boiled water and leave to insist for a couple of days.
Strained infusion is taken three times a day for 1 tbsp. spoon for two weeks.

Clover flower tincture

To prepare the tincture, take 1 cup of clover flowers per half-liter jar and fill it with vodka. Next, leave for 2 weeks and strain.
We take 1 teaspoon of infusion for 50 ml of tea or boiled water twice a day for a month.

Cleansing blood vessels with honey and walnuts

Grind 5 pcs. walnuts, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of linden honey and 1 pinch of chopped ginger and cinnamon and for a day put the mixture in the refrigerator. Take before meals 1 tbsp. spoon.

And finally - one of the most delicious cleansing methods!

Every morning on an empty stomach we eat 3 pcs. walnuts, 1 tangerine and a handful of raisins. After half an hour, we drink 1 glass of water, and after 15-20 minutes you can have breakfast.

Be healthy!

Recently, scientists have taken on old people whose brains do not show pronounced signs aging after 80 years.

How to keep a young brain after 80 years?

A story about superagers, anterior cingulate gyrus and von Economo neurons, as well as recommendations on what to do.

Now we are actively moving into the information age, where knowledge and technology are becoming the most expensive capital. And the tool for their production is the brain. The brain also ages and its efficiency decreases over time.

Brain aging is accompanied by "typical" cognitive decline or, in some cases, more severe cognitive impairments called dementia.

Medicine has long studied problems with the brain, but recently scientists took on old people whose brains do not show pronounced signs of aging after 80 years. Researchers have moved away from the traditional Alzheimer's approach of targeting the affected brain and focusing on brains that perform better than most.

The term SuperAgers was coined in 2007 by scientists at Northwestern's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. They studied a group of superagers and identified patterns in them that allow them to maintain a healthy and active brain and after 80 years. For example, 89-year-old Donald has the same cognitive skills as 25-year-olds. Old man demonstrated by his example that the deterioration of the brain is not inevitable with age.

Average deterioration of brain function with age

So the scientists foundThere are three key features of the brain of cognitive superaggers:

1. Thicker cerebral cortex in a number of key areas.

Ordinary people lose volume of the cerebral cortex twice as fast as super-agers. Over the course of an 18-month study, it was found that the brain function of superagers deteriorates much more slowly than their older peers. Using magnetic resonance imaging, scientists measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex in 24 superagers and 12 other people (control group) from the same group for 18 months. age category to determine the approximate state of the main organ of the central nervous system.

The annual decrease in percentage of cortical thickness between the first and second visits was 1.06 for the superagers, while it was 2.24 for the control group. Previous research has shown that the cerebral cortex of superagers is thicker than that of those who "age according to the usual pattern."

Various areas of the brain in superagers (red bars) work much better than their peers (green bars), and almost the same as in young people (blue bars)

2. Fewer amyloid plaques in neurons. Everything is simple here. This is a general marker of brain aging, non-specific.

3. Great amount and sizes of special fusiform neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (cells won Economo) - this is the most interesting, as it is the most specific superager marker!! The anterior cingulate gyrus was noticeably thicker and occupied large area brain than in the control group. What is this part of the brain?

Anterior cingulate cortex

Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, ACC) - frontal part cingulate cortex, resembling a "collar" around the corpus callosum. It is involved in cognitive functions such as reward expectation, decision making, empathy, impulsiveness and emotion control. Anatomically, the AUC can be divided into cognitive (dorsal) and emotional (rostral-ventral) components.

The dorsal part of the ACC is connected to the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex, as well as propulsion system and frontal eye fields, which makes it the central site for processing "downward" (associated with goal setting) and "ascending" (associated with momentary decisions) stimuli and sending control signals to other areas of the brain.

On the contrary, the rostral-ventral part is associated with amygdala, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus and anterior insular cortex and performs the functions of evaluating characteristic features emotional and motivational information. There is evidence that the ACC is especially active when a task requires mental effort or concentration. So this is the most important aspect- to maintain a healthy anterior cingulate gyrus, it is important to make an effort!

Neurons von Economo or spindle-shaped neurons.

The number of von Economo cells in superagers is five (5!) times higher than in the control group of the same age. Von Economo neurons play a key role in the transmission of socially relevant information, and they affect memory and activity in the ACC-related brain regions. They are found only in two very limited areas of the hominin brain: in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and in the fronto-insular cortex.

Most likely, it is these cells that provide the anatomical basis for the existence of complex human social behavior. These are large neurons (about 4 times larger than the rest of the layer cells). It is characteristic that all the owners of these neurons, and primates, and elephants, and cetaceans, are animals with the most developed social behavior among mammals.

These neurons are an indispensable neural adaptation in a very big brain These neurons fire to a wide variety of prosocial stimuli - both positive and negative.

In humans, these structures activated when experiencing feelings of guilt, indignation, embarrassment, indignation at injustice, they are also active in empathy with others' grief, the formation of empathy, maternal care, romantic love and the need for social justice.

Immediately after birth, their rapid formation begins and proliferation peaking around 8 months (the moment when the primary sense of "I" is formed in the infant, the child becomes able to distinguish himself from his mother and begins to distinguish the faces of others, in particular to identify relatives and be frightened at the sight of strangers). After that total number neurons gradually decreases, the processes of migration and clustering mainly prevail, and by the age of four it is already formed in the final, “adult” form.

This age is associated with the final formation of the personality core and social intelligence; in addition, it is at this moment that most of the debuts of autism in children occur.

Also, the activity of spindle neurons is probably associated with self-awareness. In the insular cortex, neurons of these types are the link between internal visceral monitoring and higher mental processes. Monitoring internal sensations, apparently, is critically significant in the formation of cognitive processes, such as "self-awareness" and a sense of "inner self". As a result, a unique functional activity and the development of social intelligence due to increased monitoring of one's own psychophysiological state.

The current scientific assumption, which adds to the importance of these studies, is that, having evolved, these neurons accidentally caused the emergence of self-awareness whena living being "sympathizes with itself".

It is also believed that intuition is based on the work of these powerful cells. Quick, emotionally charged assessments based on probabilistic logic, which we call "intuitive decisions", are much more common than they are usually paid attention to. ACC and FI are activated in the face of the need to make quick decisions in circumstances of uncertainty, as well as, by default, in a variety of social interactions.

For example, as an element of a sense of humor, trust or faith, empathy or a negative-scornful assessment of the interlocutor's state of mind. Works like a relay integrated assessment complex social situations and quick response to changing conditions. These functions are critically important for a person in the implementation of his social behavior.

Fusiform neurons are phylogenetically and ontogenetically young cells. Their number is extremely limited, each neuron counts, and at the same time they carry critical important function. All this makes them very sensitive to damaging and unfavorable external influences. Superagers have five times more fusiform neurons in the cingulate cortex than controls.

What to do?

The key to the superager brain is to keep as many von Economo spindle neurons in the anterior cingulate as possible.

1. Solve super complex problems.

Everything that requires overcoming discomfort, maximum concentration and strong-willed efforts. To become a superager, you have to solve very difficult tasks, it doesn’t matter if it’s physical or mental. . That is, very intense exercise and very strenuous brain effort. Of course we are talking not about solving crosswords and walking in the park once a day.

2. Maintain cognitive flexibility.

The cingulate cortex is important for switching from different focuses, positions, and viewpoints. The higher your conservatism, the less your cognitive flexibility and cingulate gyrus activity. Constantly be interested in new things, learn new things, new products, concepts, things, music, people. Don't get hung up on your preferences.

3. Active social interactions.

The higher the level of open, kind social communications, the better the ACC works. It could be friends, family, interest groups, whatever, but your brain needs a lot of it. decline social activity leads to a decrease in PPC activity. Social intuition, empathy, rich deep emotions, compassion - this is useful for the CPD.

4. High level awareness and comprehension.

The presence of individual meanings, awareness activates and maintains the activity of von Economo's neurons. Practice your own ikigai and never settle for simple popular fast food self-identification solutions.published

Our brain tends to change over time, but do not think that the older you get, the lower your mental activity. Recent studies have shown that there are quite a few ways to keep the mind sharp and clear for a long time.

Dementia is a disease associated with impaired memory. characteristic symptoms are decreasing mental activity, forgetfulness and difficulty in acquiring new skills.

Research is finding more and more evidence that following certain rituals can significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or any other form of dementia.

Before scientists discovered the evidence, people thought they were helpless in the face of the disease, says Mary Schultz, director of education for the Alzheimer's Society in Canada.

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She also names five changes that need to be implemented in habitual image life to improve brain health and reduce the risk of disease. They will in many ways be useful for people who already suffer from dementia, as they will help to stop the development of the disease. Below we take a closer look at these five preventive measures.

1. Challenge yourself

learn new language finally master or even take a couple of piano lessons. Stimulation of mental activity revitalizes and supports brain function.

When we learn something new, it is always a kind of shock to our brain. He wakes up, is activated and excited. By gaining new experience, you teach the brain to adapt to changing circumstances, to be flexible, because you require from it what it is not used to doing.
Mary Schultz, Director of Education, Alzheimer's Society of Canada

Schultz is not the only one who is sure of the need for a new hobby. For example, foreign languages- Very useful hobby. It turned out that the ability to speak two languages helped delay the onset of entire three types dementia: vascular, frontotemporal and mixed. In addition, it is known for certain that bilingual people were diagnosed with dementia 4.5 years later than those who spoke only one language.

When you challenge yourself, be sure to make sure you can handle it. If you hate Sudoku, then don't commit yourself to doing 10 crossword puzzles a day. Everything is good in moderation, but the choice should be approached wisely.

Close contact with family, friends and colleagues is a good way to protect the brain from early aging. You can spend more time with your relatives, join a discussion club, or just go to the movies regularly with friends.

Even if you are young, full of energy and problems senile dementia you are not very concerned about yet, we still advise you to follow these five simple recommendations. Here's what you need to keep your brain healthy: exercise, socializing regularly, eating healthy, less stress, and having some healthy hobbies.

Mary Schulz, Director of Education at the Alzheimer's Society of Canada, gives advice

How to keep your brain sharp for a long time.

Dementia is a disease associated with impaired memory. Characteristic symptoms are decreased mental alertness, forgetfulness, and difficulty in acquiring new skills.

Research is finding more and more evidence that following certain rituals can significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or any other form of dementia.

Before scientists discovered the evidence, people thought they were helpless in the face of the disease, says Mary Schultz, director of education for the Alzheimer's Society in Canada.

She also names five changes that need to be implemented in a habitual way of life in order to improve the condition of the brain and reduce the risk of disease. They will in many ways be useful for people who already suffer from dementia, as they will help to stop the development of the disease. Below we take a closer look at these five preventive measures.

1. Challenge yourself

Learn a new language, finally master chess, or even take a couple of piano lessons. Stimulation of mental activity revitalizes and supports brain function.

When we learn something new, it is always a kind of shock to our brain. He wakes up, is activated and excited. By gaining new experience, you teach the brain to adapt to changing circumstances, to be flexible, because you require from it what it is not used to doing.

Schultz is not the only one who is sure of the need for a new hobby. For example, foreign languages are a very useful hobby. It turned out that the ability to speak two languages helped delay the onset of three types of dementia: vascular, frontotemporal, and mixed.
In addition, it is known for certain that bilingual people were diagnosed with dementia 4.5 years later than those who spoke only one language.

2. Be socially active

It was found that a well-coordinated complex of physical, mental and social exercises helped a large number people to stop the onset of dementia. Schultz is sure that during close communication with other people, the neurons in the brain are activated and this has a positive effect on his work.
Be socially active!

Maintaining friendships and family relationships is essential to maintaining your mental health. According to Schultz, it is not yet scientifically proven whether depression causes dementia, or, conversely, dementia begins to develop due to being alone for too long.
One way or another, these two diseases go hand in hand, often leaving those suffering alone with their problem. Loneliness is just as destructive for an old person as bad physical health. Because of it, the risk premature death may increase by 14%.

3. Eat a healthy diet

Compliance balanced diet will not only help control your weight, but will also help prevent many heart diseases. In addition, the food you eat feeds your brain.

The brain is responsible for ensuring that the heart and all other organs do the work for which they are intended. That is why you need to try to eat foods that are useful for maintaining brain activity.

What should you eat? Pay attention to "color" products. They contain increased amount antioxidants that are responsible for slowing down the aging process.

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables(blackcurrant, blueberry, eggplant, plums, red cabbage) contain anthocyanin pigment, which makes it easier to cope with stress.
Eating vegetables and fruits of these colors also improves vision and strengthens the immune system.
green vegetables and fruits(broccoli, avocado, spinach, pears, leafy greens, apples, kiwi) have a beneficial effect on brain activity, normalize the work of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
It is worth paying attention to red fruits and vegetables(beets, raspberries, peppers, radishes, tomatoes, pomegranates). They help strengthen the immune system, improve the absorption of food and increase vitality.

In addition to colorful foods, you should include more fish with high content omega-3 fatty acids. Their deficiency can lead to early aging brain and decreased mental activity. Most omega-3 fatty acids are found in tuna, salmon and herring.

4. Be physically active

No one requires you to run marathons, but at least minimal physical activity is a must. Regular exercise has great importance to keep the brain in good shape.

Your heartbeat increases during exercise, the intensity of blood flow increases, the brain actively receives nutrients, its cells are enriched with oxygen. Thus, the risk of stroke is significantly reduced.
Be physically active!

You don't even have to buy a gym membership. Instead, you can apply alternative methods stimulation physical activity: walk for groceries instead of driving, take the stairs to your home instead of the elevator, get off two stops before the one you need.

Our brain is exactly the same muscle as our heart, and both of them need regular exercise in order to stay in good shape.

5. Reduce your stress level

There is an explanation for why coloring books and puzzles are so attractive to adults. They are great for relieving stress, and studies have shown that these types of activities can be extremely beneficial for adults to relax and give the brain a break.

Chronic stress has a negative effect on mood and sleep patterns, it increases blood pressure and cortisol levels. This exhausts the body and can lead to depression.

Constant tension can provoke a chemical imbalance that is dangerous for the brain and other body cells. One of the most effective ways to prevent stress is meditation.

Even if you are young, full of energy and the problems of senile dementia do not really bother you yet, we still advise you to follow these five simple recommendations. Here's what you need to keep your brain healthy: exercise, socializing regularly, eating healthy, less stress, and having some healthy hobbies.