Our Aging Bodies: Brain Health

The Brain is wider than the sky...

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We benefit from learning more about the wonders of the human body. Wellness always begins with our lifestyles: what we eat, how we move, and how we navigate the complexities of modern living. Aging is part of our lifespan - there is only one escape! I became curious about what happens to our bodies as we age and what strategies we can employ, given our access to wisdom, common sense, technology, and scientific information. Each month, I will feature an article on the aging human body. I am not a medical professional, and that’s good because I write so my readers can easily understand.

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Image by John Hain from Pixabay

This is the last article in the Our Aging Bodies series, and I am ending with our beautiful, magical, complicated, and mysterious brains.

As our scientific knowledge and affluence have enabled us to live longer, we now live with the reality of age-related cognitive decline, dementia, and the most ravaging form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. There is acknowledgment that some cognitive decline is a natural and expected outcome of aging. I don’t think about severe cognitive decline much, but I admit that it is probably my biggest fear about aging. I am learning to accept the more frequent moments of forgetfulness; names and words simply can’t be found on immediate recall, and I misplace things, for which I spend more time than I care to admit trying to remember where I last saw them. My long-term memories are sometimes fuzzy, altered, or forgotten until someone prompts me. 

Lately, I have argued that my moments of temporary loss happen because I am constantly learning new information, skills, and understandings, making my brain a busy place. This morning, I was delighted to see my argument validated on LitHub in an excerpt from Julie Sedivy's 2024 book Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love.

Language, Loss, and Nostalgia:  

For an older person, it’s like bringing the same books into a house in which they have lived for forty years: the new books are absorbed into overstuffed shelves, littered about on the ample furniture, and stacked onto piles teetering on the desk, dining room table, and sideboard. Is it any wonder that engulfed in such abundance, the older person will take longer to retrieve a specific item or come up empty-handed or with an armload of substitutions for the requested book?

Astute scientists have asked: If a sixty-year-old can recall only 90 percent of the thousand names she knows, while a sixteen-year-old can recall 98 percent of the hundred names she knows, whose memory is more powerful? What if the purported symptoms of a contracting lexicon are really signs of one that is expanding? Indeed, closer scientific scrutiny reveals that far from shedding words, we hoard them over a lifetime. Unless a person is afflicted by brain disease, her vocabulary continues to grow into old age, becoming a magnificent warehouse of words in which anyone might lose themselves.

Perspective is everything…it’s about abundance, not scarcity. Doesn’t that make sense? Our older brain is a warehouse of information. What we need is a regularly updated index!

Still, like all parts of our bodies, our brain experiences structural and chemical changes as we age.

• Some parts of the brain shrink, including those that support learning and complex mental activities.

• Neurons shrink, and the fatty myelin that wraps around nerve fibers deteriorates.

• Reduced communication (connections) between neurons occurs in some brain areas.

• The formation of new neurons declines.

• Chemical messengers decline

• Blood flow within the brain can weaken.

• Inflammation may increase in the brain.

Memory Loss

Age-related physical changes can cause slower responses, memory loss of names and words (“tip of the tongue” recall), reduced ability to multitask, decreased ability to pay attention, and slower learning. Signs of memory loss do not necessarily indicate the start of cognitive impairment or dementia. Other conditions, like nutrient deficiencies and thyroid problems, exhibit similar symptoms but can be reversed if treated appropriately. Other indicators of possible impairment include personality changes, balance problems, depression, and an increase in chronic disease symptoms. 

Cognitive assessments for aging people should be part of an annual wellness exam. Early detection of impairment can lead to possible lifestyle modifications, more effective treatments, reduced anxiety, and the ability to plan for support and services if necessary.

There is growing evidence that intentional cognitive leisure-based activities that target working memory, episodic memory, and reasoning can counter cognitive decline. Playing computer-based brain games can offer short-term benefits, but pursuing engaging activities that are enjoyed and offer cognitive challenges appears to have long-term benefits. Learning a new language or musical instrument, writing, playing chess, and pursuing intensive study of a new subject are examples of leisure-based cognitive activities.

Dementia

Dementia is a collective term for symptoms that significantly affect a person’s ability to function with everyday cognitive tasks.

From the National Council on Aging: 

“The Alzheimer’s Association says to look for warning signs and symptoms that include:

Challenges in planning or solving problems. Usual tasks, such as cooking a meal, take longer to do. You find it hard to follow directions and lose track of numbers while paying bills.

Confusion with time or place. You may forget the day of the week or where you are or how you got there.

New problems with saying words. You may lose your place during a conversation or struggle to describe familiar objects.

Decreased or poor judgment. You make poor decisions and neglect your personal appearance and hygiene.

Changes in mood and personality. You may feel easily agitated, depressed, or anxious.

These symptoms may overlap and differ based on the type of dementia you have.”

Dementia is caused by damaged brain cells, affecting the cells’ ability to communicate. Different kinds of dementia affect various areas of the brain. As of 2023, 6.7 million people in the U.S. had dementia, and an estimated 14 million people will have it by 2060. Alzheimer’s accounts for about 80% of diagnosed dementias, and it’s a progressive disease that has devastating effects on memory, communication, and the ability to care for one’s self. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and has significant implications not only for the person diagnosed with it but for caregivers, family members, and healthcare systems. 

Some of the primary risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease include:

Age: Growing older is the most significant risk factor. The majority of the almost six million American adults living with Alzheimer’s are over age 65.  

Family History: If a parent or sibling has Alzheimer’s, the risk increases for other immediate family members.

Genetics: Specific genes are now known to be connected to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Interestingly, biological sex is missing from this list, which is remarkable given that two-thirds of people affected by Alzheimer’s are female. This shouldn’t surprise us: there’s a long history of assuming that women’s physical conditions are the same as men's. Fortunately, some neuroscientists are researching the impacts of menopause on brain health and aging. Dr. Lisa Mosconi offers a succinct overview of her findings in her popular 2019 TED Talk.

The above risk factors cannot be modified, but lifestyle factors that support a healthy brain can reduce the risk factors for dementia. Cardiovascular health is particularly connected to brain health.

Risks to Cognitive Health

Aside from genetic brain diseases and traumatic brain injuries, many of the risks to cognitive health are related to lifestyle choices: 

• Health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and depression

• Some medicines, or improper use of them

• Lack of physical activity

• Poor diet

• Smoking

• Drinking alcohol

• Sleep problems

• Little social activity and being alone most of the time

Lifestyle

Diet and exercise are the roots of wellness for all of our body’s systems, and cognitive health benefits from the same protocol. Brain health depends on physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness, which can significantly reduce the natural effects of aging.

• Nutrient deficiencies are linked to neurodegenerative conditions as we age. Recent research indicates that following the Mediterranean Diet, which includes an abundance of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, less red meat, more fish and chicken, uses spices and herbs, and limited dairy, was correlated to better cognitive function performance. Avoid processed foods and fatty fast foods.

• Get moving! Research supports the inclusion of physical exercise for slowing age-related decline and reducing the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Researchers found that exercise increased blood flow to the medial temporal lobe, which controls memory.

• Dehydration is common among older people and can contribute to confusion and memory lapses. Drink half of your body’s weight in fluid ounces daily. Adding electrolytes to your daily hydration can help regulate fluid balance and assist with electrical messaging in your brain.

• Use your brain! Engage in computer brain games, word and number puzzles, reading, and writing. Take up a new hobby that requires complex learning, like learning a new language. Continue learning by taking classes, attending lectures, and exploring new topics. Engaging in learning as you age appears to lower the risk for age-related cognitive decline and boosts the efficiency of cognitive function.

• Explore your creativity! Studies indicate that the aging brain has a broadened focus of attention, similar to the kind of focus used by creative professionals. One of the best aspects of elderhood is the many experiences and acquired knowledge base, both of which can contribute to creative projects.

• Grow a garden, make compost, and play in the dirt. A microbe in soils with lots of organic matter (e.g., compost), Mycobacterium vaccae, suppresses inflammation, which is associated with cognitive decline. The bacteria is also believed to raise levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin.

• Spend more time outside in natural settings, which is known to lower stress levels, reduce blood pressure, relax the frontal lobes, and lessen the psychological effects of personal problems.

• Reduce stress. Continual elevated cortisol levels (the stress hormone) are linked to cognitive decline.

• Participate in social activities that bring joy to your life. Volunteer, continue to work, and spend time with family and friends.

• Develop sound sleep patterns: exercise, diet, reduced alcohol use, and sedative herbs can help.

• Stop multitasking, which can increase the risk for accidents when driving and walking.

• Monitor heart health and manage high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. (Thirty percent of people with Alzheimer’s also have heart disease, and 29 percent also have diabetes.)

• Watch for signs of depression, which can be a factor in and symptom of cognitive problems.

• Avoid nicotine and excessive alcohol use.

• Be careful of expensive supplement products that claim to increase cognitive abilities or reverse cognitive decline. Most have not been tested and are often adulterated with other ingredients. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. 

• Practice safety first; traumatic brain injuries are associated with dementia. Wear protective gear as recommended when doing outdoor sports. Prevent falls at home by creating large open pathways and covering slippery floors.

• In the last decade, several studies have revealed that regular exposure to polluted air can contribute to increased risks of dementia.

• Have a blood test done to check for vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies. Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause cognitive decline.

• Seek alternatives to any medications and over-the-counter products that are known to affect older adults’ cognition abilities. Herbal options could provide the same benefits without the damaging side effects. Always discuss with a health practitioner before making changes. Specifically, prescription and over-the-counter drugs used for these conditions can cause cognitive problems:

  • Medications for relief of cramps in the stomach, intestines, and bladder

  • Antihistamines for allergy relief

  • Medicines for anxiety and depression

  • Sleep aids

  • Antipsychotics

  • Muscle relaxants

Herbs

• Ginkgo Standardized Extract (Ginkgo biloba): Traditional Chinese Medicine has used ginkgo for thousands of years, and now Western health systems have joined the party! Ginkgo (taken in capsules) is especially useful for older people with early onset dementia, slowing cognitive decline and assisting with memory. Specifically, it boosts brain blood flow and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Caution is advised for those who are taking pharmaceutical drugs as it can interact with some.

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa): Another herb with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric also promotes circulation and prevents brain protein plaque from accumulating, a factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease.  

• Green Tea (Cameilla sinensis): Green tea has many benefits, including improved brain function, mood elevation, decreased inflammation, and reduced risk factors for cognitive impairment. 

• Herbs from the Lamiaceae Family: Many traditional “memory” herbs, like rosemary, sage, and lemon balm, have proven effective in enhancing memory, specifically in treating Alzheimer's disease. Regular consumption of these familiar culinary and tea herbs may have preventative benefits, and inhalation and topical application of their essential oils have helped with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

From Mountain Rose Herbs:

Here’s a simple herbal tea to enjoy each day after a meal.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. peppermint

• 1 tsp. spearmint

• 1 tsp. rosemary

Optional additions: lemon balm, holy basil, gotu kola, nettle, oat straw

Directions Steep the herbs in 12-16 ounces of near-boiling water for 15 minutes or longer.

Resource: https://www.alz.org/alzheimer_s_dementia

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