Sleep: Birds Do It, Fish Do It, Elephants, Too. You?

"To be scientifically literate is to empower yourself to know when someone else is lying."
--Neil deGrasse Tyson

Source: NIH.gov
Sleep might seem pretty simple, but scientists are still scratching their heads over questions surrounding this slumbering state. It's unclear exactly why organisms need to sleep, let alone whether every last species actually settles down for siestas.

Public Domain Pictures

Researchers acknowledge that regular, consistent sleep plays a major role in brain and body health

Sleep itself isn't all that straightforward, so let's start by describing what's typically defined as sleep. During times of sleep, there's usually a reduction in physical activity and a decreased response to outside stimuli. Sleeping creatures often assume a customary posture -- whether that's lying down for people, hanging upside down for bats, or standing up as is sometimes the case for horses, giraffes and elephants. Sleep is also easily reversible, meaning it's a relatively simple matter to wake up, especially when compared to other states along the continuum of reduced consciousness, such as hibernation or a coma.

It seems most species do sleep, although differences exist between the sleeping patterns of different types of animals. Giraffes require very little sleep; they enjoy only about 30 minutes a day of deep sleep split into several separate sessions. Conversely, brown bats average close to 20 hours a day. Most mammal species need significantly more sleep when they're young, although baby orcas and baby bottlenose dolphins appear to not sleep at all during the first few months of life.

Fighting a National Sleep Crisis

Many people view sleep as merely a “down time” when their brains shut off and their bodies rest. People may cut back on sleep, thinking it won’t be a problem, because other responsibilities seem much more important. But research shows that a number of vital tasks carried out during sleep help people stay healthy and function at their best. While you sleep, your brain is hard at work forming the pathways necessary for learning and creating memories and new insights. Without enough sleep, you can’t focus and pay attention or respond quickly. A lack of sleep may even cause mood problems. Also, growing evidence shows that a chronic lack of sleep increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and infections.

Despite growing support for the idea that adequate sleep, like adequate nutrition and physical activity, is vital to our well-being, people are sleeping less. The nonstop “24/7” nature of the world today encourages longer or nighttime work hours and offers continual access to entertainment and other activities. To keep up, people cut back on sleep. A common myth is that people can learn to get by on little sleep (such as less than 6 hours a night) with no adverse effects. Research suggests, however, that adults need at least 7–8 hours of sleep each night to be well rested. Indeed, in 1910, most people slept 9 hours a night. But recent surveys show the average adult now sleeps fewer than 7 hours a night.

Chronic sleep loss or sleep disorders may affect as many as 70 million Americans.

More than one-third of adults report daytime sleepiness so severe that it interferes with work, driving, and social functioning at least a few days each month. Evidence also shows that children’s and adolescents’ sleep is shorter than recommended. These trends have been linked to increased exposure to electronic media. Lack of sleep may have a direct effect on children’s health, behavior, and development. Chronic sleep loss or sleep disorders may affect as many as 70 million Americans. This may result in an annual cost of $16 billion in health care expenses and $50 billion in lost productivity.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR BRAIN:

Blogger sale: Just $7.00. Order on Amazon by clicking here.

Praise for Healing the Brain

"A book that can help medical professionals as well as the general public, Mr. Balog has tackled a subject that is complex and he makes it quite approachable. It has added and enriched my own practice of medicine by making me more aware of issues not often discussed in medical circles."--Peter Paganussi, MD, Virginia

"Author David Balog has done an excellent job of creating a book for educators (or anyone working with youth) that explains the complicated workings of the brain in an easy to understand manner. Balog goes on to discuss various types of trauma and how the adolescent brain responds to trauma such as depression, stress, addiction, risk taking, PTSD, etc. LGBT/Q youth may experience trauma in ways majority youth often do not. The author shares important coping strategies....I highly recommend this book!"--Carol Dopp, M.Ed. 

"David Balog understands the strain of alienation, so he tackles this subject with compassion and concern. Mr. Balog draws on his knowledge of brain science to give readers insight into what happens to young people under tremendous stress, and he offers practical advice on how to help and cope."--Gary Cottle, author

"Provides comfort and learning to the reader. Flows easily from one topic to the next and knits tidbits of information together in a unifying mosaic. Easy to read. Difficult to put down." --Michael J. Colucciello, Jr., New York State Dept. of Mental Health researcher, retired.

"Well researched, fleshed out with relevant case histories, this book packs a lot of solid information into its 152 pages. Written in an engaging style for the layman, it covers a wide range of topics. One learns a great deal about the biology of stress, particularly the vulnerability of the brain in the pre-adult years. This book also provides a glossary of key brain science terms and a listing of organizations serving the LGBT /Q community and resources on the brain."--Gary Bordzuk, librarian

Addiction: Meet Dopamine, the Life or Death Chemical

"To be scientifically literate is to empower yourself to know when someone else is lying."
--Neil deGrasse Tyson

Dr. Nora Volkow, head, National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Understanding the Brain’s Reward System

When a person partakes in a pleasurable activity – be it a sexual encounter, a delicious meal, a monetary gain or even taking a mood-altering drug – the brain processes these different types of pleasure in the same way. Each of these pleasurable encounters cause a release of of the neurotransmitter dopamine  into a cluster of nerve cells just below the cerebral cortex, called the nucleus accumbens. Because this part of the brain is so closely tied to pleasure, it is often referred to as the brain’s reward or pleasure center.

The reward system is present in the brain to ensure that humans repeat life-sustaining activities such as eating food, drinking water and mating. When people take drugs or drink alcohol, however, it basically sends the system into overdrive.

(Dopamine also plays a key role in body movement. Death of dopamine-producing cells is implicated in Parkinson's disease.)

The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Reward System

Drugs cause a massive surge of dopamine in the brain – far more than one would experience during a meal or other natural rewards. The amount of dopamine released by drugs is usually 2 to 10 times higher than natural rewards, and the “feel good” sensation usually lasts much longer.  Drugs also cause the brain to release dopamine much more quickly than a natural reward as well.

There are three main factors that contribute to the likelihood of a drug being addictive which are as follows:

• The speed with which it promotes dopamine release.
• The intensity or strength of the dopamine release.
• The reliability of the dopamine release.

This is why the most addictive drugs of abuse are often smoked or injected – the drug makes its way to the brain much faster and with a great intensity. In turn, it promotes a rapid, intense burst of dopamine – giving the body such a high “feel good” sensation that the brain simply wants more of it once it starts to wear off. And because the pleasure is so much greater than that of natural rewards, the brain begins to want more and more of it to produce the same feeling – after all, that part of the brain exists to encourage humans to repeat activities that trigger the release of dopamine.

Blogger sale: Just $7.00. Order on Amazon by clicking here.

Praise for Healing the Brain

"A book that can help medical professionals as well as the general public, Mr Balog has tackled a subject that is complex and he makes it quite approachable. It has added and enriched my own practice of medicine by making me more aware of issues not often discussed in medical circles."--Peter Paganussi, MD, Virginia

"Author David Balog has done an excellent job of creating a book for educators (or anyone working with youth) that explains the complicated workings of the brain in an easy to understand manner. Balog goes on to discuss various types of trauma and how the adolescent brain responds to trauma such as depression, stress, addiction, risk taking, PTSD, etc. LGBT/Q youth may experience trauma in ways majority youth often do not. The author shares important coping strategies....I highly recommend this book!"--Carol Dopp, M.Ed. 

"David Balog understands the strain of alienation, so he tackles this subject with compassion and concern. Mr. Balog draws on his knowledge of brain science to give readers insight into what happens to young people under tremendous stress, and he offers practical advice on how to help and cope."--Gary Cottle, author

"Provides comfort and learning to the reader. Flows easily from one topic to the next and knits tidbits of information together in a unifying mosaic. Easy to read. Difficult to put down." --Michael J. Colucciello, Jr., New York State Dept. of Mental Health researcher, retired.

"Well researched, fleshed out with relevant case histories, this book packs a lot of solid information into its 152 pages. Written in an engaging style for the layman, it covers a wide range of topics. One learns a great deal about the biology of stress, particularly the vulnerability of the brain in the pre-adult years. This book also provides a glossary of key brain science terms and a listing of organizations serving the LGBT /Q community and resources on the brain."--Gary Bordzuk, librarian

Preventing Alzheimer's, Part 4, Mental Health

Preventing Alzheimer's/Part 4

In this blog we will look at timely topics on the brain. Learn along with a copy from our book series, Healing the Brain. Get your copy today. A Thousand Moms offers workshops to the general public. These workshops are presented in clear, non-complicated language. In New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, please call 518 322-0607 or write to athousandmoms@yahoo.com.

 

 By the author of the acclaimed  

Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science.  

Buy here on Amazon.

Source: Dana Foundation/Cerebrum
Memory problems come in all shapes and sizes. Some people tend to forget where they put their cell phone, or cannot easily recall names. Or they can’t recall taking their medication or remember the birthday or anniversary of a loved one. Whether they admit to themselves that their forgetfulness seems to happen with greater frequency or they worry about losing their memory as they age, they are right to be concerned. Because our aging population is on the rise, Alzheimer’s disease (AD)— an irreversible, progressive form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills as people age and is ultimately fatal—has steadily risen from about 4 million in the late 1990s to 5.4 million today.
 
The disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the US, but estimates by the National Institute on Aging indicate that it may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for older people. But here is some good news: Whether you want to reverse cognitive deficits now or avoid them later, more and more studies are suggesting that there is much you can do to keep your mind sharp.
 
While a pharmaceutical approach to preventing AD has proved elusive, practical lifestyle choices to reduce AD are based on good science and good sense. The secret may lie in epigenetics, the effect one’s lifestyle has on one’s genes, and thus on the risk for disease. Of course, the wisdom that lifestyle has an impact on health is not new; we have been reciting adages such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” for ages. Research in a variety of areas has confirmed that sensible everyday choices can significantly reduce the risk of AD. According to the National Institutes of Health, $991 million was dedicated to AD research in 2016, but how much of that went towards lifestyle-modification and prevention is unclear.


Pillar 4: Psychological Well-Being
Meditation also enhances psychological well-being (PWB) by promoting acceptance of self and others, increasing self-confidence, reducing negativity, and providing a foundation for independent living, sustained personal growth, socializing with like-minded people, service to others, and aging with purpose. These PWB factors lower the risk for cognitive decline and help reduce cholesterol and inflammation.In fact, Purpose in Life is a new movement in neuroscience that links the belief that one’s life has meaning and purpose to a robust and persistently improved physiological health outcome—not only to treat AD, but also to treat spinal cord injuries, stroke, and immunological and cardiovascular issues that include but extend beyond the brain.

Positive emotions—love, compassion, and appreciation—counteract the physiology of the stress response and support a healthy brain throughout life. Beyond that, PWB may create an enhanced sense of spirituality, which preliminary studies suggest slows the progression of AD.²³ Moreover, per Helen Lavretsky, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist at UCLA, spirituality is a way to develop personalized, patient-centered healthcare. There is evidence of a close relationship between spirituality, cognitive health, and successful aging.

Finally, in a very recent, and as of yet, unpublished three-year study, spirituality was associated with lowered atrophy rates in brain regions related to memory, visuospatial attention, and behavioral deficits in subjects at risk for AD.

As it currently stands, or until the pharmaceutical world can meet the enormous challenge of discovering the magic anecdote that can make amyloid disappear, living a healthy life offers the best chance for aging AD-free and nourishing a sharp mind. Small, easily achieved shifts in one’s daily routine can make all the difference in brain health. If everyone made such shifts, it is likely that the widespread prediction of a continuing Alzheimer’s epidemic would shift, too, with fewer reported cases.

Praise for Healing the Brain

"A book that can help medical professionals as well as the general public, Mr Balog has tackled a subject that is complex and he makes it quite approachable. It has added and enriched my own practice of medicine by making me more aware of issues not often discussed in medical circles."--Peter Paganussi, MD, Virginia

"Author David Balog has done an excellent job of creating a book for educators (or anyone working with youth) that explains the complicated workings of the brain in an easy to understand manner. Balog goes on to discuss various types of trauma and how the adolescent brain responds to trauma such as depression, stress, addiction, risk taking, PTSD, etc. LGBT/Q youth may experience trauma in ways majority youth often do not. The author shares important coping strategies....I highly recommend this book!"--Carol Dopp, M.Ed. 

"David Balog understands the strain of alienation, so he tackles this subject with compassion and concern. Mr. Balog draws on his knowledge of brain science to give readers insight into what happens to young people under tremendous stress, and he offers practical advice on how to help and cope."--Gary Cottle, author

"Provides comfort and learning to the reader. Flows easily from one topic to the next and knits tidbits of information together in a unifying mosaic. Easy to read. Difficult to put down." --Michael J. Colucciello, Jr., New York State Dept. of Mental Health researcher, retired.

"Well researched, fleshed out with relevant case histories, this book packs a lot of solid information into its 152 pages. Written in an engaging style for the layman, it covers a wide range of topics. One learns a great deal about the biology of stress, particularly the vulnerability of the brain in the pre-adult years. This book also provides a glossary of key brain science terms and a listing of organizations serving the LGBT /Q community and resources on the brain."--Gary Bordzuk, librarian

Preventing Alzheimer's, Part 3

Preventing Alzheimer's

In this blog we will look at timely topics on the brain. Learn along with a copy from our book series, Healing the Brain. Get your copy today. A Thousand Moms offers workshops to the general public. These workshops are presented in clear, non-complicated language. In New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, please call 518 322-0607 or write to athousandmoms@yahoo.com.

 By the author of the acclaimed Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science.  

Buy here on Amazon.

Source: Dana Foundation/Cerebrum
Memory problems come in all shapes and sizes. Some people tend to forget where they put their cell phone, or cannot easily recall names. Or they can’t recall taking their medication or remember the birthday or anniversary of a loved one. Whether they admit to themselves that their forgetfulness seems to happen with greater frequency or they worry about losing their memory as they age, they are right to be concerned. Because our aging population is on the rise, Alzheimer’s disease (AD)— an irreversible, progressive form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills as people age and is ultimately fatal—has steadily risen from about 4 million in the late 1990s to 5.4 million today.
 
The disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the US, but estimates by the National Institute on Aging indicate that it may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for older people. But here is some good news: Whether you want to reverse cognitive deficits now or avoid them later, more and more studies are suggesting that there is much you can do to keep your mind sharp.
 
While a pharmaceutical approach to preventing AD has proved elusive, practical lifestyle choices to reduce AD are based on good science and good sense. The secret may lie in epigenetics, the effect one’s lifestyle has on one’s genes, and thus on the risk for disease. Of course, the wisdom that lifestyle has an impact on health is not new; we have been reciting adages such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” for ages. Research in a variety of areas has confirmed that sensible everyday choices can significantly reduce the risk of AD. According to the National Institutes of Health, $991 million was dedicated to AD research in 2016, but how much of that went towards lifestyle-modification and prevention is unclear.


Pillar 3: Yoga/Meditation
Chronic stress is a major risk factor for AD. It may be useful to experience stress if one is running for his or her life, but not when just trying to live one’s life. Stress has a detrimental effect on genes, causing them to express themselves in unhealthy ways, such as by producing inflammation, a trademark of AD. The frenzied pace of life that people experience in today’s world is only accelerating, so it is helpful to find a regular activity to soothe the harmful force of stress on the brain.

Published research over the past 13 years reveals that a simple, 12-minute yoga/meditation technique called Kirtan Kriya (KK) has significant brain boosting benefits. KK has been examined at leading medical schools, with the impressive, perhaps surprising, results published in more than one medical journal, including the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The actual age of KK is unknown. It was passed down from master to student for generations in the East until Yogi Bhajan (1929-2004) brought it to the West in about 1970. Kirtan means “singing” and Kriya means “an action with specific effects.” KK involves singing the sounds Saa Taa Naa Maa (a mantra) while repeating sequential movements (mudras) with the fingertips.
Ancient yogis did not have imaging or blood tests to unravel the biochemical changes created by KK and other yoga exercises, but modern science has shown that practicing KK reduces stress levels and increases blood flow to parts of the brain that are central to memory and brain function. For example, KK activates the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), an important brain region for stress balance and emotional and cognitive control. A robust ACG is essential to memory: Research in the elderly who’ve maintained sharp minds shows they have preserved their ACGs and other significant brain areas as they have aged.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the chief executive officer of your brain, essential for planning and organization, is also activated by meditation. So is the posterior cingulate gyrus (PC), one of the first areas to decline in function when memory loss strikes. Such findings have led Andrew Newberg, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson Medical School, to say, “There is a true anti-aging effect in long-term practitioners of KK; they have bigger brains.”

A study at the University of Pennsylvania, which followed people with early cognitive decline for eight weeks, demonstrated that practicing the yoga/meditation technique started reversing memory loss and reduced anxiety, two hallmarks of early AD. A UCLA study of family dementia caregivers revealed that KK not only lowered their stress and improved their memory, but also reduced inflammatory genes and increased the enzyme telomerase by 43 percent, the largest increase ever recorded. Increasing this enzyme elongates the DNA protective cap, the telomere, which is crucial for a long life and a sharp mind.

Additionally, at West Virginia University, subjects with the earliest form of memory loss, subjective cognitive decline (SCD), showed an improvement in cognitive function with KK.And a landmark study at UCLA found that subjects with an advanced form of early memory loss called mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had better memory outcomes with KK than those who practiced a standard memory-improvement approach. KK apparently enhanced brain cell connectivity as well. Importantly, the positive benefits lasted through the six-month follow up period of the study.
KK has practical advantages. It only takes 12 minutes a day and requires no equipment or lengthy or expensive training sessions. One can practice KK at home with an easy-to-follow CD, for example, and it is completely safe, with no side effects reported. Its lack of time requirements makes the practice perfect for caregivers, and it’s easy for seniors with decreased mobility and activity levels.

Praise for Healing the Brain

"A book that can help medical professionals as well as the general public, Mr Balog has tackled a subject that is complex and he makes it quite approachable. It has added and enriched my own practice of medicine by making me more aware of issues not often discussed in medical circles."--Peter Paganussi, MD, Virginia

"Author David Balog has done an excellent job of creating a book for educators (or anyone working with youth) that explains the complicated workings of the brain in an easy to understand manner. Balog goes on to discuss various types of trauma and how the adolescent brain responds to trauma such as depression, stress, addiction, risk taking, PTSD, etc. LGBT/Q youth may experience trauma in ways majority youth often do not. The author shares important coping strategies....I highly recommend this book!"--Carol Dopp, M.Ed. 

"David Balog understands the strain of alienation, so he tackles this subject with compassion and concern. Mr. Balog draws on his knowledge of brain science to give readers insight into what happens to young people under tremendous stress, and he offers practical advice on how to help and cope."--Gary Cottle, author

"Provides comfort and learning to the reader. Flows easily from one topic to the next and knits tidbits of information together in a unifying mosaic. Easy to read. Difficult to put down." --Michael J. Colucciello, Jr., New York State Dept. of Mental Health researcher, retired.

"Well researched, fleshed out with relevant case histories, this book packs a lot of solid information into its 152 pages. Written in an engaging style for the layman, it covers a wide range of topics. One learns a great deal about the biology of stress, particularly the vulnerability of the brain in the pre-adult years. This book also provides a glossary of key brain science terms and a listing of organizations serving the LGBT /Q community and resources on the brain."--Gary Bordzuk, librarian

Part 2: The 4 Keys of Alzheimer’s Prevention

In this blog we will look at timely topics on the brain. Learn along with a copy from our book series, Healing the Brain. Get your copy today. A Thousand Moms offers workshops to the general public. These workshops are presented in clear, non-complicated language. In New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, please call 518 322-0607 or write to athousandmoms@yahoo.com.

 By the author of the acclaimed Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science.  

Buy here on Amazon.

Source: Cerebrum/Dana Foundation

The Four Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention

By: Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., and George Perry, Ph.D. Editor’s Note: Much is yet to be discovered about the precise biological changes that cause Alzheimer’s, disease, why it progresses more quickly in some than in others, and how the disease can be prevented, slowed, or stopped. And while researchers continue to search for the magic pill that can prevent or halt the spread of amyloid in the brain, our authors believe that changing or modifying one’s lifestyle and attitude can make a difference in both prevention and treatment.

Pillar 2:  Physical and Mental Exercise

The evidence is convincing: Both physical and mental exercise are absolutely essential in preventing AD. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, augments crucial brain compounds such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and, perhaps most significantly, causes neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells. In a study at Columbia University, researchers showed that older men who exercised on a treadmill four times a week for 30 minutes grew new cells in their dentate gyrus, an important area of the brain related to memory and cognition such as executive function.¹¹ And guess what? One can experience these brain-boosting effects of exercise regardless of one’s age or existing level of fitness or cognitive decline.
 

Current wisdom recommends 150 minutes a week of cardio (aka aerobic) exercise, plus several sessions of strength training. But the benefits of even mild exercise begin to accrue right away. Just getting out and taking a 20 to 30- minute brisk walk three times a week will improve brain and memory function. Like diet, exercise also creates a healthy epigenetic response. Those who are already in good physical condition should add more variety and intensity to their workouts. Get a trainer, join a gym, play tennis, swim, or take a boot camp, Zumba, or cycling class. Find enjoyable activities and make them part of your routine.
 
Additionally, keeping one’s mind active is an important aspect of AD prevention. There are a variety of ways to do this. One of them, reading, is one of the best ways to stay sharp—not only does learning take place, but the mind is forced to think and engage outside of everyday tasks. Other simple strategies—or what are sometimes called brain-aerobic activities—include playing and listening to music, creating and viewing art, or completing crossword puzzles. All stimulate and challenge the brain, giving it a nice “workout.” Remember, it’s not just about physical fitness, it’s about mental conditioning as well.

Part 1: Diet. The 4 Keys of Alzheimer’s Prevention

In this blog we will look at timely topics on the brain. Learn along with a copy from our book series, Healing the Brain. Get your copy today. A Thousand Moms offers workshops to the general public. These workshops are presented in clear, non-complicated language. In New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, please call 518 322-0607 or write to athousandmoms@yahoo.com.

 By the author of the acclaimed Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science.  

Buy here on Amazon.

Source: Cerebrum/Dana Foundation

The Four Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention

By: Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., and George Perry, Ph.D. Editor’s Note: Much is yet to be discovered about the precise biological changes that cause Alzheimer’s, disease, why it progresses more quickly in some than in others, and how the disease can be prevented, slowed, or stopped. And while researchers continue to search for the magic pill that can prevent or halt the spread of amyloid in the brain, our authors believe that changing or modifying one’s lifestyle and attitude can make a difference in both prevention and treatment.

Source/Shutterstock

Memory problems come in all shapes and sizes. Some people tend to forget where they put their cell phone, or cannot easily recall names. Or they can’t recall taking their medication or remember the birthday or anniversary of a loved one. Whether they admit to themselves that their forgetfulness seems to happen with greater frequency or they worry about losing their memory as they age, they are right to be concerned. Because our aging population is on the rise, Alzheimer’s disease (AD)— an irreversible, progressive form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills as people age and is ultimately fatal—has steadily risen from about 4 million in the late 1990s to 5.4 million today.
 
The disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the US, but estimates by the National Institute on Aging indicate that it may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death for older people. But here is some good news: Whether you want to reverse cognitive deficits now or avoid them later, more and more studies are suggesting that there is much you can do to keep your mind sharp.

While a pharmaceutical approach to preventing AD has proved elusive, practical lifestyle choices to reduce AD are based on good science and good sense. The secret may lie in epigenetics, the effect one’s lifestyle has on one’s genes, and thus on the risk for disease. Of course, the wisdom that lifestyle has an impact on health is not new; we have been reciting adages such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” for ages. Research in a variety of areas has confirmed that sensible everyday choices can significantly reduce the risk of AD. According to the National Institutes of Health, $991 million was dedicated to AD research in 2016, but how much of that went towards lifestyle-modification and prevention is unclear.

Funding uncertainty notwithstanding, the positive effects of a healthier lifestyle on cognition were recently documented for the first time in a longitudinal study. The two-year, 1,200 participant Finnish Interventional Geriatric Study for the Prevention of Cognitive Disability (FINGER) showed that a healthy diet, exercise, socialization, and mental stimulation can dramatically reduce the development of AD in people at risk for cognitive decline. The French MAPT Study: A Multidomain Approach for Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease also suggested that lifestyle modification has an effect in reducing risk factors. This multi-domain approach is consistent with the four-pillar strategy recommended by a number of reputable sources, including the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF), the Dana Alliance, the American Association of Retired Persons, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

The aforementioned studies add substantially to mounting scientific evidence that suggests lifestyle and psychological well-being play a critically important role in Alzheimer’s prevention. We have taken them into account, along with our own findings, in fine-tuning our longstanding recommendations for staving off and even helping to reverse AD to the following four strategies. The secret to AD prevention is tied to maintaining connections: between your brain cells, other people, and your well-being.

Pillar 1: Diet and Supplements
Diet is one of the most important targets for lifestyle modification to prevent AD. Many people still blindly follow the Standard American Diet, or SAD. According to the US Government, about 75 percent of all Americans do not consume an adequate amount of vegetables and fruits, while most exceed the recommended amount of sugars, saturated fats, sodium, and calories. Studies show that rejecting SAD may be critical in the fight against AD.

The science reveals that those who eschew processed foods and choose whole, real-food options have the least decline in mental faculty. Research published in the Alzheimer’s Association’s journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, for example, confirms that making the switch from a fat- and meat-heavy way of eating to a primarily plant-based diet—no matter how old a person is when doing so— can slow and possibly reverse memory loss.The components of a healthy diet may enhance cognitive performance by one or more of several actions:  affecting synaptic plasticity, synaptic membrane fluidity, glucose utilization, mitochondrial function, or reducing oxidative stress.

Many studies highlight the Mediterranean diet that is rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, olive oil, and fish or seafood. Researchers at UCLA discovered that study participants who followed  this eating plan, which is modeled on the traditional diet of certain Mediterranean peoples, had lower levels of AD’s hallmark amyloid-beta plaques in the spaces between their brain nerve cells, along with fewer telltale tangles of tau protein—meaning those important cell connections were firing properly. And at the Mayo Clinic, through MRI scans, researchers found that participants who followed the Mediterranean diet for a year had greater thickness in parts of their brain’s cortex that play a role in memory. Those on the SAD diet, on the other hand, lost cortex. These findings have implications for maintaining cognitive function:  positive associations of the Mediterranean Diet scores were observed with average cortical thickness in parietal and frontal lobes, and in regions of the brain that mediate or support elements such as memory, executive function, and language. Americanized versions of the Mediterranean diet, as well as the MIND ( Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay ) and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, have also shown promising results.  Research from Rush University, where the MIND diet was developed by nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, revealed that the MIND diet could turn back your mental aging clock the equivalent of up to 7.5 years. Although this is now widely accepted by researchers, further confirmative studies are ongoing.

The ARPF nutrition plan has much in common with both the Mediterranean and MIND diets. Some of the organization’s main tenets are:
●     Vegetarian foods: A vegetarian diet—full of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes and soy—improves focus and begets higher productivity. Wild-caught salmon is the only animal protein the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation’s diet recommends for its brain-friendly omega-3 fats, advising eating it only two to three times a week.
●     Juicing: Fresh juices are alive with the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and phytonutrients needed to strengthen the brain.
●     Supplements : Take a high-potency multivitamin and multi-mineral supplement that includes folic acid. Memory specific supplements of omega-3 oils, phosphatidyl-serine, coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, huperzine-A, and resveratrol are also recommended.

As previously noted, we suspect that certain genes can influence risk of developing AD. But well-chosen foods and their nutrients may move gene expression toward a sharp brain. “Genetics are not our destiny,” says Victor S. Sierpina, M.D., professor of family and integrative medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. “How we eat can have a major impact in reducing our risk of developing this feared condition.” By moving away from the SAD diet to a more Mediterranean-type diet, it is possible to eat for optimal brain health.

Buy today on Amazon!

In this blog we will look at timely topics on the brain. Learn along with a copy from our book series, Healing the Brain. Get your copy today. A Thousand Moms offers workshops to the general public. These workshops are presented in clear, non-complicated language. In New York, Vermont and Massachusetts, please call 518 322-0607 or write to athousandmoms@yahoo.com.

Your introduction to the brain: Buy on Amazon!

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases share common crucial feature

Finding suggests that treatment for one disease could work for the other two

Date:

May 23, 2017

Source:

Loyola University Health System

Summary:

A study has found that abnormal proteins found in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases share a similar ability to cause damage when they invade brain cells. The finding suggests that an effective treatment for one neurodegenerative disease might work for other neurodegenerative diseases as well.

FULL STORY

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A Loyola University Chicago study has found that abnormal proteins found in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease all share a similar ability to cause damage when they invade brain cells.

The finding potentially could explain the mechanism by which Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and other neurodegenerative diseases spread within the brain and disrupt normal brain functions.

The finding also suggests that an effective treatment for one neurodegenerative disease might work for other neurodegenerative diseases as well.

The study by senior author Edward Campbell, PhD, first author William Flavin, PhD, and colleagues is published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica.

"A possible therapy would involve boosting a brain cell's ability to degrade a clump of proteins and damaged vesicles," Campbell said. "If we could do this in one disease, it's a good bet the therapy would be effective in the other two diseases."

Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the death of neurons and other cells in the brain, with different diseases affecting different regions of the brain. Alzheimer's destroys memory, while Parkinson's and Huntington's affect movement. All three diseases are progressive, debilitating and incurable.

Previous research has suggested that in all three diseases, proteins that are folded abnormally form clumps inside brain cells. These clumps spread from cell to cell, eventually leading to cell deaths. Different proteins are implicated in each disease: tau in Alzheimer's, alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's and huntingtin in Huntington's disease.

The Loyola study focused on how these misfolded protein clumps invade a healthy brain cell. The authors observed that once proteins get inside the cell, they enter vesicles (small compartments that are encased in membranes). The proteins damage or rupture the vesicle membranes, allowing the proteins to then invade the cytoplasm and cause additional dysfunction. (The cytoplasm is the part of the cell that's outside the nucleus).

The Loyola study also showed how a cell responds when protein clumps invade vesicles: The cell gathers the ruptured vesicles and protein clumps together so the vesicles and proteins can be destroyed. However, the proteins are resistant to degradation. "The cell's attempt to degrade the proteins is somewhat like a stomach trying to digest a clump of nails," Campbell said.

Flavin said the finding that protein clumps associated with the three diseases cause the same type of vesicle damage was unexpected. Loyola researchers initially focused on alpha-synuclein proteins associated with Parkinson's disease. So they asked collaborator Ronald Melki, PhD, to send them samples of different types of alpha-synuclein. (To do the experiment in a blinded, unbiased manner, the Loyola researchers did not know which types of alpha-synuclein were which.) Melki, a protein researcher at the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, is known for his ability to generate distinct types of alpha-synuclein. Without telling the Loyola researchers, Melki sent other types of proteins as well. This led to the surprise finding that tau and huntingtin proteins also can damage vesicles.

Campbell stressed the study's findings need to be followed up and confirmed in future studies.
The Loyola study is titled, "Endocytic vesicle rupture is a conserved mechanism of cellular invasion by amyloid proteins." It was supported by grants from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Parkinson's Disease Foundation, Illinois chapter of the ARCS Foundation, Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation and other sources.

Campbell is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Flavin is a Loyola University Chicago MD/PhD student. Other co-authors are Zachary Green, Stratos Skarpathiotis, and Michael Chaney of Loyola University Chicago; Luc Bousset and Ronald Melki of the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience; and Yaping Chu and Jeffrey Kordower of Rush University Medical Center.

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Story Source:
Materials provided by Loyola University Health System.

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