UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING BRAIN AND MIND
Key messages
People can form new connections in the brain at any age,
The effect of normal ageing on reducing the brain’s ability has been greatly over emphasised
Dementia is not just accelerated normal ageing
Alzheimer’s disease is not the only cause of dementia, there are other causes which can be influenced to reduce the risk of dementia which has got less common in the last twenty years
The brain can be regarded as just another organ in the body like the liver or the kidney, and indeed that is what it looks like in a butcher’s shop.
However the brain in the butcher’s shop is very misleading because it looks white and bloodless unlike the liver and kidney, whereas the brain has a very rich blood supply which is of vital importance.
Cognitive functions of the brain
The reason the brain is special, of course, is because of the mind and one way of looking at the brain is that it is like a computer which is able to carry out very complex tasks quickly and which can also can learn, adapt and change. The mind is of course influenced by many things other than the brain, but it is the brain that almost always causes those disorders like dementia , which are disorders of either the cognitive or computer aspects of the mind namely the ability of the brain to remember, to calculate and to make decisions.
Emotional functions of the brain
The emotional aspects of the mind are the feelings, for example of anxiety or depression or loneliness. Disorders of these conditions are usually the result of problems in the mind, not in the brain.
The brain is plastic
We now know that the brain is dynamic and can change. It is plastic to use the modern jargon. Most of the doctors over forty were taught that the brain was static namely that you were born with a number of brain cells and from that point it was downhill all the way. However we now know that the brain that the brain in fact can keep establishing new connections throughout life, learning and adapting at any age. This is called neuroplasticity.
The four factors that affect the rest of the body -ageing, loss of fitness, disease and negative beliefs and attitudes affect the brain and the mind too.
BE POSITIVE ABOUT INCREASING YOUR BRAINABILITY
Perhaps the most important step to take is to be positive, not only positive about ageing from the physical sense but positive about ageing of the brain and the mind namely
Key messages
People can form new connections in the brain at any age,
The effect of normal ageing on reducing the brain’s ability has been greatly over emphasised
Dementia is not just accelerated normal ageing
Alzheimer’s disease is not the only cause of dementia, there are other causes which can be influenced to reduce the risk of dementia which has got less common in the last twenty years
The brain can be regarded as just another organ in the body like the liver or the kidney, and indeed that is what it looks like in a butcher’s shop.
However the brain in the butcher’s shop is very misleading because it looks white and bloodless unlike the liver and kidney, whereas the brain has a very rich blood supply which is of vital importance.
Cognitive functions of the brain
The reason the brain is special, of course, is because of the mind and one way of looking at the brain is that it is like a computer which is able to carry out very complex tasks quickly and which can also can learn, adapt and change. The mind is of course influenced by many things other than the brain, but it is the brain that almost always causes those disorders like dementia , which are disorders of either the cognitive or computer aspects of the mind namely the ability of the brain to remember, to calculate and to make decisions.
Emotional functions of the brain
The emotional aspects of the mind are the feelings, for example of anxiety or depression or loneliness. Disorders of these conditions are usually the result of problems in the mind, not in the brain.
The brain is plastic
We now know that the brain is dynamic and can change. It is plastic to use the modern jargon. Most of the doctors over forty were taught that the brain was static namely that you were born with a number of brain cells and from that point it was downhill all the way. However we now know that the brain that the brain in fact can keep establishing new connections throughout life, learning and adapting at any age. This is called neuroplasticity.
The four factors that affect the rest of the body -ageing, loss of fitness, disease and negative beliefs and attitudes affect the brain and the mind too.
- Ageing does have an affect on the brain. As the brain ages it does quick calculations less well, so older people are generally not so good at quick response games and quizzes. There is also a loss of memory power, particularly for events and facts that are recently remembered but it is very important to emphasise that the changes such as those listed below are not an early sign of dementia
- Forgetting where you put your phone
- Forgetting the name of someone you met two days ago
- Loss of fitness is also relevant for the mind and therefore for the brain because the brain needs stimulation to form new circuits. A the best form of activity for the brain is that which challenges the individual to engage with others, for example running a voluntary group or being a local councillor or quite simply carrying on working, in fact any activity with a purpose
- Disease that affects the brain usually affects the mind. Alzheimer’s disease is still a huge mystery but Alzheimer’s disease is only one cause of dementia the other main cause being vascular dementia due to impairment of the blood supply the brain. Furthermore we know that stress and lack of sleep also have adverse effects on the brain, and that physical activity as well as improving the blood supply of the brain, has a direct beneficial effect on brain cells.
- Negative beliefs and attitudes play a very important part in the development of dementia. We know that depression and loneliness, often the complications of deafness and blindness, increase the risk of dementia significantly but so too do negative beliefs for example beliefs such as “There is no point in arguing with someone aged ninety, just agree with them”.
BE POSITIVE ABOUT INCREASING YOUR BRAINABILITY
Perhaps the most important step to take is to be positive, not only positive about ageing from the physical sense but positive about ageing of the brain and the mind namely
- We know that people can learn and adapt at any age.
- We know that although decision making that requires rapid response decays with age people who are more experienced often make better decisions.
- We now know that the brain can form new connections throughout life. It is plastic not static like a lump of clay. As we have said it is more like a telephone relay box, the green box at the end of your road but when you open it up this is what you see. The hand on the left is establishing new connections, like you learning a new dance step
- by learning new skills, preferably by engaging in purposeful work- Work your brain even harder
- by increasing contact and interaction with other people to avoid isolation and depression
- by Keeping your hearing and your vision as sharp as possible to keep receiving stimulation