How to keep your brain healthy? Seven ways to make your 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 their glasses, or forget to turn off the iron when switching to another task. Sometimes the consequences of a weakened brain are much worse - older people develop serious problems, develop dementia and other degenerative disorders. But these disruptions are not inevitable. You can try to prevent them by taking care of your brain health in advance. So, what ways do we know about keeping the brain young?

Stimulate mental activity

You need to exercise your brain every day. Especially if you do monotonous and routine work every day. The brain is like a person - it gets used to solving the same problems and eventually stops straining to achieve certain results. Consequently, it stops developing and either stands still or begins to degrade. Representatives of the charity Age UK that learning new skills can keep your mind sharp for a long time for many years. How to achieve this? There are a great many ways.

Have you always dreamed of learning Spanish? Get started now. On the Internet you can find many sites 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 you can learn on your own short terms. 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 your imagination go.
Solve puzzles. If you like math, solve problems. If you like puzzles, buy a set of 1000 pieces and assemble them. If you are lazy to solve math problems or are indifferent to puzzles, download puzzles to your smartphone and practice on the subway while you go 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, but also help maintain optimal brain activity in older age.

Don't neglect physical activity

Research suggests that strengthening muscles and endurance training can also help your brain. Regular exercise increases 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 amiss to mention common benefit physical activity: They lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, help fight diabetes and stress. This means that sports are good not only 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 go to gym or attend group programs - now there are many more ways to exercise than reasons not to do so.
Enroll in a dance school. Dancing is an activity from which you will receive incredible pleasure and benefits. Your body will become more flexible, your muscles will become toned, and your mood will improve.
If you can’t join a fitness club or go dancing, look for good sports grounds near your home, go for a morning or evening jog in the park, do morning exercises. In our climate, it is not always possible to play sports outside, but in winter we have snow - go skiing, snowboarding or skating. Let sports become your daily pleasant habit.
Another budget-friendly way to exercise regularly is video tutorials on YouTube. Here you can find yoga lessons for beginners, home workouts with your own weight, dumbbells and fitballs, and gymnastics.

Important: Try to avoid sports that may involve blows to the head (for example, football or boxing). This can lead to concussions or other brain injuries. Remember that frequent blows to the head can lead to dementia pugilism (a disease caused by repeated concussions or traumatic blows to the head).

Watch your diet

We have already written more than once about how correct, healthy eating our brain. But it wouldn’t hurt to say this again. Research results time and time again show benefits 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, there is no need to severely limit yourself to your favorite dishes, even if they are not entirely healthy. Just keep it in moderation.

Include as much as possible in your diet fresh vegetables and fruits. Buy seasonal vegetables and make soups, salads or stews from them. Make it a habit to eat a portion of fruit once a day.
Eliminate fast food and Doshiraki. If it's hard for you to give up this food, allow yourself to eat your favorite food from time to time. harmful product. But remember that this momentary pleasure does not bring any tangible benefit to your body.
Stop ordering ready food to the house. If you don’t have time to cook, then it’s better to use food delivery services to prepare meals. Their advantage is that you will not have any extra food left over, you will spend a minimum of time on preparation and, moreover, you will have a more or less balanced diet. It's much better than eating pizza every day.

Try to lead a healthy lifestyle

If you smoke or use frequently alcoholic drinks and sleep poorly, this 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 cell structures.

Try to quit smoking. If you have friends who have gotten rid of this addiction, ask them for advice. Try to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke, read Allen Carr in the end (maybe it will help). If you are unable to quit smoking on your own, try seeing a doctor. This is a habit that harms your body, you need to get rid of it.
Don't abuse alcohol. Limit yourself to a glass of good red wine on 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 keep it in moderation.
Get enough sleep. Try to go to bed early and wake up early, sleep at least 7-8 hours. After a week of difficulties, the body will get used to this regime.

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

If you follow the recommendations described above, then we believe that there will be no problems with blood pressure. However, do not forget about this indicator, and if something happens, think about how else you can reduce it - perhaps you are not getting enough sleep or feel constant stress? Find the reason and deal with it. The same goes for blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Sometimes even healthy image life does not normalize 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 on a visit, invite guests to your place, meet in a cafe, play with friends and family board games- communication with other people reduces stress, blood pressure and increases life expectancy. You enjoy being with friends and family, and your brain becomes stronger. Try not to avoid people, don't become a recluse. Communicate not only with your peers, but also with your grandparents. This is a double benefit - not only for yourself, but also for others.

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

Brain tissue is 60% polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA). Previously, doctors did not see any connection between the fats we eat together in food and the fats that make up the brain. They believed that the brain has some kind of its own protection against the components of our food. The opposite has already been proven today. When a person consumes a lot of food unhealthy fats, then deviations in brain function are possible. The body must receive the “right” fats that 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 every 20-30 grams of Omega-6 consumed, there is only 1 gram of Omega-3. A infant often gets with breast milk mothers and a completely unacceptable Omega-6 value (up to 45 grams).

People's diets have undergone significant changes, leading to Omega-3 deficiency. Moreover, this shortage sometimes reaches 80%. We began to consume more oils rich in Omega-6 (sunflower, corn, etc.) and reduced, or even completely eliminated, the consumption of oils such as flaxseed, hemp and soybean (rich in Omega-3). Modern man forced to buy fish in stores that are grown artificially, cereals that have been deprived of their core, which is rich in fats, during threshing. Almost all products add a huge amount of sugar, and it takes part in the synthesis of enzymes along with fatty acids.

As a result of all this, these two acids compete with each other for possession of the same enzymes. And the acid that enters the body more wins.

An imbalance of fatty acids in the body leads to a number of diseases, including autism, migraines, 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-6, it is advised to buy high-quality cold-pressed vegetable oils, and also eat eggs, nuts, and poultry. Remember that the norm for fat consumption is 1-1.3 grams per kilogram of weight! If you can't follow all the rules proper nutrition, then to maintain an optimal balance healthy fats at least accept fish oil in capsules.

Basic Recipes traditional methods cleansing the blood vessels of the brain

* For more effective cleansing cerebral vessels, it is advisable to first cleanse the intestines and liver.

Cleansing brain vessels with garlic

This recipe will help both with sclerosis and with vasospasm and cardiac shortness of breath.
Crush the head of garlic and pour in 1 cup of unrefined vegetable oil, leave it in the refrigerator for a day and begin cleaning the blood vessels of the brain.
1 teaspoon mixed with the same amount lemon juice, we accept the received medicinal 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 clean blood vessels.

Take a large head of garlic and two lemons. Peel and crush the garlic, squeeze the juice out of the lemon. Pour the resulting mixture with 1 liter of warm boiled water and leave to infuse for a couple of days.
We take the strained infusion three times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon for two weeks.

Clover flower tincture

To prepare the tincture, take 1 glass of clover flowers in a half-liter jar and fill it with vodka. Next, leave it for 2 weeks and strain.
Take 1 teaspoon of infusion per 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 place the mixture in the refrigerator. Take 1 tbsp before meals. spoon.

And finally, one of the most delicious cleansing methods!

Every morning on an empty stomach we eat 3 pieces. 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!

Scientists recently took on old people whose brains don't show pronounced signs aging after 80 years.

How to keep your brain young after 80?

A story about superagers, the anterior cingulate cortex 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 instrument of 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 impairment called dementia.

Medicine has been studying brain problems for a long time, but recently scientists took on old people whose brains do not show significant signs of aging after 80 years. Researchers have moved away from the traditional approach to studying Alzheimer's disease, which focuses on brains that perform better than most.

The term “SuperAgers” was coined in 2007 by scientists from Northwestern’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. They studied a group of super-agers and identified in them those patterns 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 a 25-year-old. Elderly man demonstrated by his example that deterioration of brain function is not inevitable with age.

Average decline in brain function with age

So, scientists have establishedthree key features of the brains of cognitive super-agers:

1. A thicker cerebral cortex in a number of key areas.

Normal people lose cortical volume twice as fast as super-agers. An 18-month study found that the brain function of super-aged people deteriorated much more slowly than that of their older peers. Using magnetic resonance imaging, scientists measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex of 24 super-agers and 12 other people (a control group) from the same group over 18 months. age category to determine the approximate condition of the main organ of the central nervous system.

The annual percentage reduction in cortical thickness between the first and second visits was 1.06 for super-agers, while it was 2.24 for the control group. Previous studies have shown that the cerebral cortex of super-agers is thicker than that of those who “age normally.”

Various areas of the brain of super-aged people (red bars) work much better than their peers (green bars), and almost as well as young people (blue bars).

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

3. Huge number and sizes of special fusiform neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (Von Economo cells) - this is the most interesting, since this is the most specific marker of super-agers!! The anterior cingulate gyrus was noticeably thicker and occupied large area brain than in the control group. What kind of part of the brain is this?

Anterior cingulate cortex

Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) - frontal part cingulate cortex, resembling a “collar” around the corpus callosum. It is involved in cognitive functions such as reward anticipation, decision making, empathy, impulse control and emotion control. Anatomically, the ACC 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 motor system and frontal eye fields, making it a central site for processing top-down (related to goal setting) and bottom-up (related to 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 evaluation functions characteristic features emotional and motivational information. There is evidence that the ACC is especially active when solving a problem requires mental effort or concentration. So this is the most important aspect– to maintain a healthy anterior cingulate, it is important to make an effort!

Von Economo neurons or fusiform neurons.

The number of von Economo cells in superagers is five (5!) times greater than in the control group of the same age. Von Economo neurons play a key role in the transmission of socially significant information and they influence memory and the activity of ACC-related brain regions. They are found in only two very limited areas of the hominid brain: the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the frontoinsular 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 other cells in the layer). It is characteristic that all owners of these neurons, primates, elephants, and cetaceans, are animals with the most developed social behavior among mammals.

These neurons are an obligatory neural adaptation in 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, outrage at injustice, they are also active in empathizing with the grief of others, 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 infant’s primary sense of “I” is formed, the child becomes able to distinguish himself from his mother and begins to distinguish the faces of others, in particular, recognize relatives and become frightened at the sight of strangers). After that total number neurons gradually decreases, the processes of migration and clustering mainly predominate, and by the age of four it is already formed in its final, “adult” form.

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

Fusiform neuron activity is also likely 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, appears to be critical in shaping cognitive processes such as “self-awareness” and the sense of “inner self.” As a result, it became possible for a person to have a unique functional activity and the development of social intelligence due to increased monitoring of one’s own psychophysiological state.

Scientists' current speculation, which adds significance to these studies, is that as these neurons evolved, they accidentally gave rise to 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 we usually pay attention to. ACC and FI are activated under conditions of need to make quick decisions in circumstances of uncertainty, and also, 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-dismissive assessment of the interlocutor’s state of mind. Works like a relay comprehensive assessment complex social situations and rapid response to changing conditions. These functions are critically important for a person in the implementation of his social behavior.

Spindle neurons are phylogenetically and ontogenetically young cells. Their number is extremely limited, every 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 a super-ager brain is to retain as many Von Economo fusiform neurons as possible in the anterior cingulate cortex.

1. Solve super complex problems.

Anything that requires overcoming discomfort, maximum concentration and willpower. In order to become a super-ager, you need to solve very difficult problems, whether physical or mental. . That is, very intense exercise and very intense brain effort. Of course we're talking about not about solving crossword puzzles and walking in the park once a day.

2. Maintain cognitive flexibility.

The cingulate cortex is important for switching between different focuses, positions, and points of view. The higher your conservatism, the lower your cognitive flexibility and cingulate activity. Constantly be interested in new things, master new things, new products, concepts, things, music, people. Don't be locked into your preferences.

3. Active social interactions.

The higher the level of open, kind social communications, the better the CPC works. It could be friends, family, interest groups—anything, 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 PKK.

4. High level awareness and comprehension.

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

Our brains tend to change over time, but don't think that the older you get, the lower your mental performance. Recent research has proven that there are quite a few ways to keep your mind sharp and clear for a long time.

Dementia is a disease associated with memory impairment. Characteristic symptoms are a decrease mental activity, forgetfulness and difficulty 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 believed they were helpless in the face of the disease, said Mary Schultz, director of education at the Alzheimer's Society of Canada.

giphy.com

She also names five changes that need to be implemented in familiar image life to improve brain health and reduce the risk of disease. They will be of great benefit to people who already suffer from dementia, as they will help stop the progression of the disease. Below, we'll 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. Stimulating 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, becomes active and excited. By acquiring new experience, you teach the brain to adapt to changing circumstances, to be flexible, because you demand from it something that it is not used to doing.
Mary Schultz, Director of Education, Alzheimer's Society of Canada

Schultz is not the only one who believes in 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 whole 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, make sure you can handle it. If you hate Sudoku, then don't commit to solving 10 crossword puzzles every day. Everything is good in moderation, but you should approach your choice 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 simply go to the cinema regularly with friends.

Even if you are young, full of strength and have problems senile dementia you don’t really care yet, we still advise you to follow these five simple recommendations. Here's what you need to keep your brain healthy: exercise, socialize regularly, eat healthy, reduce stress, and have a healthy hobby.

Alzheimer's Society of Canada Director of Education Mary Schulz offers advice

how to keep your brain in good shape for a long time.

Dementia is a disease associated with memory impairment. Characteristic symptoms include decreased mental alertness, forgetfulness, and difficulty 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 believed they were helpless in the face of the disease, said Mary Schultz, director of education at the Alzheimer's Society of Canada.

She names five changes that need to be introduced into your usual lifestyle in order to improve your brain health and reduce the risk of disease. They will be of great benefit to people who already suffer from dementia, as they will help stop the progression of the disease. Below, we'll 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. Stimulating 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, becomes active and excited. By acquiring new experience, you teach the brain to adapt to changing circumstances, to be flexible, because you demand from it something that it is not used to doing.

Schultz is not the only one who believes in 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.

When you challenge yourself, make sure you can handle it. If you hate Sudoku, then don't commit to solving 10 crossword puzzles every day. Everything is good in moderation, and you should approach your choice of hobby wisely.

2. Be socially active

It was found that a coherent combination of physical, mental and social exercises helped a large number people to stop the onset of dementia. Schultz is confident that during close communication with other people, neurons in the brain are activated and this has a positive effect on its functioning.
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, on the contrary, dementia begins to develop due to being alone for too long.
One way or another, these two diseases go hand in hand, often leaving sufferers alone with their problem. Loneliness is as destructive for an old person as bad physical health. Because of him the risk premature death may increase by 14%.

3. Eat a healthy diet

Compliance balanced diet Not only will it help control your weight, but it will also help prevent many heart diseases. Plus, the food you eat feeds your brain.

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

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

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

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

4. Be physically active

No one is asking you to run marathons, but at least minimal physical activity is essential. Regular exercise has great value to keep the brain in good shape.

Your heart rate during exercise increases, the intensity of blood flow increases, and 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 use alternative methods stimulation physical activity: walk for groceries instead of driving, take the stairs home instead of the elevator, get off two stops before the one you need.

Our brain is a muscle just like our heart, and they both need regular exercise to stay in good shape.

5. Reduce your stress levels

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

Chronic stress negatively affects mood and sleep patterns, causing increased blood pressure and cortisol levels. This exhausts the body and can lead to depression.

Constant stress can cause chemical imbalances that are harmful to the brain and other cells in the body. One of the most effective ways Prevent stress by meditation.

Even if you are young, full of energy and the problems of senile dementia do not yet worry you very much, we still advise you to follow these five simple recommendations. Here's what you need to keep your brain healthy: exercise, socialize regularly, eat healthy, reduce stress, and have a healthy hobby.