Our brain is a world of which there is still so much to discover. There are many internal mechanisms that medicine and science have not yet fully understood. Of these still unknown aspects, many concern brain aging and the feared neurodegenerative diseases. That our mental faculties slow down as we age is, unfortunately, a certain fact. Yet a recent discovery revealed that it’s possible to train our brains, just like our bodies, to prevent aging. According to authoritative research, the brain does not slow down and does not skip a beat in those who often perform these cognitive exercises. Subjected to specific training, the brain seems to respond just like a muscle, maintaining lucidity over the years. The research findings could also bring new hope in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
The brain does not slow down and does not skip a beat in those who often perform these exercises
A study, carried out by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has arrived at interesting results regarding the prevention of brain aging. The research, to increase the degree of reliability, took a very large reference sample, made up of 2,800 subjects. The researchers monitored the entire sample for 10 years. The average age of the subjects at the start of the research was 74 years. The sample members were all guests of retirement homes or shelters, but none showed signs of cognitive decline.
At this point, the researchers divided the sample in two. They left the first half free, while they subjected the second to cognitive training. The training consisted of various activities not different from those easily practicable in our daily life, such as reading, walking, learning passages by heart. These exercises had three main purposes: to develop reasoning, information processing and memory. The results obtained after 10 years in subjects subjected to cognitive training were remarkable.
Brain still fully functional ten years later
After 10 years, research showed that, while episodes of brain deterioration appeared in the first group, in the second the mental faculties were unchanged. Indeed, in some cases the brain capacities were even improved.
There is only one, however, highlighted by the study. It seems that, unlike reasoning and information processing, it is impossible to train memory. According to the research in question, memory loss appears irreversible. But the researchers argue that by strengthening other cognitive abilities, the damage is limited.
Deepening
Beware of middle-aged memory lapses because they could be the indicator of this disease