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Science Be active and sleep well for a better memory
Science Be active and sleep well for a better memory | Be active and sleep well for a better memory |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
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Page 3 of 3 The researchers, from the University of Sydney and James Cook University, found that the ones who were the most mentally active had a larger hippocampus in their brains, and that their hippocampus shrank at a rate half of that of people who were the least mentally active. Featured Whitepaper
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Science DiscussionsFurther, "Our results suggest that neuroprotection in medial temporal lobe may be one mechanism underlying the link between mental activity and lower rates of dementia observed in population-based studies. Additional studies are required to further explore this novel finding.” Valenzuela comments, "This is a significant finding because a small hippocampus is a specific risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease.” [Sydney Morning Herald, “Strain your brain and stay sharp, study shows”] He adds, “We know that people that are at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia have a smaller hippocampus to start with, so it could be quite important that by staying mentally active we can actually protect this brain area from shrinkage." [ABC News] The ABC News article states that about one in four people develop Alzheimer’s and dementia after a stroke. However, Dr. Valenzuela says that risk can be reduced by learning sometime new or doing something as simple as reading. He says, "There's no one particular activity that comes up time and time again as a magical activity; it seems to be more related to keeping a diverse range of activities. Doing something where you are learning or you're being forced to challenge your mind somewhat." [ABC News] The Valenzuela adds additional scientific evidence to the link between mental activity and dementia—more mental activity and less risk of memory loss. The article “Lifespan Mental Activity Predicts Diminished Rate of Hippocampal Atrophy” was published on July 9, 2008 in the journal PLoS ONE. Its authors are Michael J. Valenzuela, Perminder Sachdev, Wei Wen, Xiaohua Chen, and Henry Brodaty. |
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