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A Diet Might Cut the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s

Researchers spent two years developing the MIND diet, which includes many brain-healthy foods like berries and greens.

The MIND diet was developed by researchers al Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, whose recent study found that certain foods could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sumalhi Reddy
The Wall Street Journal Sumathi.Reddy@wsj.com

Researchers successfully tested a special diet they designed that appears to reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The study compared the so-called MIND diet with the popular, heart-healthy Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which is intended to help control high blood pressure. The MIND diet borrows significantly from the other two, and all are largely plant-based and low in high-fat foods. But the MIND diet places particular emphasis on eating brain-healthy” foods such as green leafy vegetables and berries, among other recommendations.

The study, conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center In Chicago, found strict adherence to any of the three diets lessened the chances of getting Alzheimer’s. But only the MIND diet seemed to help counter the disease even when people followed only some of the diet’s recommendations The research was observational, not randomized or controlled and therefore isn’t evidence the MIND diet caused a reduced risk for Alzheimer”s.Instead, the research shows there is an association between the two.

The MIND diet combines clements of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which aims to reduce high blood pressure. The MIND diet also includes ‘brain-healthy’ food’ such as lots of green leafy vegetables, blueberries and nuts. A study found adhering strictly to any of the three diets lowered the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. But only the MIND diet had significant benefits even with moderate adherence.

The study is part of a small body of research investigating how nutrition can improve brain health and stave off the cognitive decline and memory impairment that comes with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Experts say there is growing awareness that lifestyle factors-not just genetics-play a prominent role in the development of Alzheimer’s, and researchers hope to come up with an optimal diet that will lessen the chances or developing the disease. An estimated 5.1 million people in the U S. have Alzheimer’s, a number expected to grow to 7.1 million by 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“It’s a relatively new field compared with heart disease and diabetes and nutrition,” said Martha Clare Morris, a professor of neurological epidemiology at Rush “As we learn more and more I think we would definitely modify or update the [MIND] diet based on the latest research,” said Dr. Morris. who was first author of the study, published recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

The MIND diet, which took two years to develop. stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. Researchers modified the Mediterranean and DASH diets based on evidence from animal and human studies looking at nutrition and the brain. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

The MIND diet has 15 dielary components

• Green leafy vegetables
• Other vegetables
• Nuts
• Berries
• Beans
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Poultry
• Olive oil
• Wine

The five unhealthy groups are

• Red meats
• Butter and stick margarine
• Cheese
• Pastries and sweets
• Fried or fast food

The MIND diet includes at least three servings of whole grains, a salad and one other vegetable every day-along with a glass of wine. It also involves snacking most days on nuts and eating beans every other day or so, poultry and berries at least twice a week and fish at least once a week. Dieters must limit eating the designated unhealthy foods, especially butter (less than 1 tablespoon a day), cheese, and fried or fast food (less than a serving a week for any of the three), to have a real shot at avoiding the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center researchers.

Source: Rush University

For example, fruits, a common recommendation in heart-healthy diets, haven’t been shown to slow cognitive decline or prevent dementia. but berries, and especially blueberries, have, Dr. Morris said. The MIND diet calls for eating berries at least two times a week and doesn’t include recommendations for other types of fruit. Research also has shown that green leafy vegetables protect the brain more than other vegetables. The MIND diet includes one serving or greens in addition to eating one or more other vegetables a day The MIND diet is heavy on nuts and beans, whole grains and olive oil and recommends a glass of wine a day, all of which also are recommended by one or both of the other diets.

The study involved 923 participants who didn’t have dementia at the start of the research. Their ages ranged from 58 to 96, with a median age of 81. Participants, who were followed on average for 4.5 years. were questioned annually on how often they ate from among 144 different food items. Subjects whose diet choices adhered closely to the MIND diet had a 53% reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Risk was reduced by 54% with the Mediterranean diet and 39% with the DASH diet.

Significantly, even moderate adherence to the MIND diet helped lessen the risk for Alzheimer’s, by 35%. By comparison, moderate adherence to the Mediterranean or DASH diets didn’t affect the chances of getting the disease. That finding was particularly encouraging, because many people find it easier to follow just some or a diet’s recommendations “I think that will motivate people,” Dr.Morns said

The study controlled for genetic predisposition physical activity, cognitive activity and education A further analysis controlled for various chronic medical conditions. It was the first study published on the MIND diet, and researchers expect additional small changes to be made. Cocoa and caffeine, for example, could possibly be added to the diet with more research, Dr. Morris said.

The researchers also analyzed green leafy vegetables in relation to cognitive decline. Participants who ate one to two servings of green vegetables a day had a “dramatic decrease in the rate of cognitive decline” compared with people who ate fewer greens, said Dr. Morris. “It was about the equivalent of being 11 years younger in age,” she said.

“The MIND diet may be a triple bonus. It reduces the risk for dementia, strokes and heart disease,” said Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham N.C., and an Alzheimer’s expert. Dr. Doraiswamy, who wasn’t involved in the MIND diet study, said a randomized controlled study is needed to determine if the diet really reduces dementia risk, and whether combining it with lifestyle interventions like exercise and meditation could provide additional benefits.

A Swedish study is investigating lifestyle’s effect on developing dementia. Finger, for Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability is a randomized controlled study with 1,260 at-risk participants ages 60 to 77. Subjects assigned to an intervention group were given a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet, an exercise program, cognitive training and management of metabolic and vascular risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. said Miia Kivipello, senior geriatrician at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. A control group was given general health advice.

“Our hypothesis was that maybe we need to target all these different risk factors simultaneously to get the optimal effect of the intervention,” Dr Kivipello said.

Initial results, based on the study’s first two years, were published recently in the Lancet. The researchers found the Intervention had clear benefits in areas including memory function and processing speed. The control group had a 30% higher risk for cognitive impairment, said Dr Kivipello, senior author of the study.

The next step is to separate out the effects of different lifestyle interventions and see how interventions may affect people depending on genetic makeup, she said. For example, there is evidence that people with a certain variation of the apoe4 gene-a risk factor for developing dementia-are more vulnerable to unhealthy diets . Data from the Finger study could indicate whether such people might especially benefit from a healthy diet

Suzanne Crart, a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., also studies the effects of diet on Alzheimer’s disease symptoms in a 2011 randomized controlled study published in the Archives of Neurology, Dr. Crart and colleagues assigned about half of 50 older people to a Western diet relatively high in saturated fat and sugar for a month. The other hair followed a more heart-healthy diet with the same number or calories. Meals were delivered 10 the participants.

An analysis of the participants’ spinal fluids found that the Western diet increased in inflammation and levels of bela-amyloid proteins, which play a role in the development or Alzheimer’s “If you think of the impact of eating with these kinds or patterns over years and years, it’s not hard to see how diet can have a profound effect on your risk for Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Craft.

A follow-up study currently under way, involving 80 people age 45 to 65 years old, is comparing the diets’ effects on blood now in the brain. The researchers are checking for biomarkers that might indicate early changes that raise a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s “If we can identify these really early markers they may turn out to be therapeutic targets or good markers of vulnerability,” she said.Fatty Fish

Seafood like salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, and sardines are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, powerful and versatile nutrients that are essential for a healthy mind. About 40% of the fatty acids in brain cell membranes are DHA, one of the main omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil. Experts believe it’s probably necessary for transmitting signals between brain cells.

Researchers at Tufts University found that people who ate fish 3 times a week and had the highest levels of DHA in their blood slashed their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 39%.

Eat it: At least twice a week (limit albacore tuna to no more than 6 ounces a week to minimize mercury exposure).

Leafy Green and Cruciferous Veggies
Pile salads,stir-fries, and side dishes with broccoli,cauliflower, cabbage,kale, bok choy, and brussels sprouts. They’re filled with antioxidants like vitamin C and plant compounds called carotenoids,which are particularly powerful brain protectors.

Antioxidants prevent damage from free radicals, which are waste products your body makes when cells use fuel to create energy. Your brain is especially vulnerable to damage from free radicals because it uses a lot of fuel (it’s only about 3% of your body weight but uses up to 17% of your energy).Since your mind makes a lot of these toxic by-products, ample antioxidants help to disarm and defuse them.

While all antioxidants (from a variety of plants) are good for your brain,these cruciferous veggies are especially effective. A Harvard Medical School study of more than 13,000 women found that those who ate the most lowered their brain age by 1 to 2 years.

Eat it: Daily, as part of a well-rounded mix of other colorful veggies.

Avocado,Oils, Nuts, and Seeds

They all contain another important antioxidant: vitamin E. n one study, researchers found that people who consumed moderate amounts vitamin E-from food, not supplements-lowered their risk of AD by 67%.

Eat it: Frequently; shoot for 15 mg of E a day, the equivalent of 2 ounces of almonds.

Chocolate
Sweeten your brain-boosting diet with the dark kind (at least 70% cocoa); it contains flavonoids, another class of antioxidants that some research links to brain health. Other flavonoid-rich foods include apples,red and purple grapes, red wine, onions, tea, and beer.

Eat it: Frequently, as part of a healthy total calorie intake. Up to half an ounce daily has also been shown to lower blood pressure.

Berries

Research indicates these antioxidant powerhouses may protect your brain, although the mechanism isn’t fully understood. Some scientists think they help to build healthy connections between brain cells.

Eat them: Daily, added to yogurt,oatmeal,or cereal for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Whole grains

Fiber-rich oatmeal,oat bran,brown rice, and so on help stabilize blood glucose (sugar) levels, compared with refined carbs like white bread and sugary foods. Your body digests these simple sugars quickly, so you have a sudden energy spike-and subsequent plummet. Since glucose is the brain’s main source of fuel,it’s important to keep levels steady; during a crash, you’ll feel tired and crabby and have trouble concentrating.

Eat them: Daily, aiming for 25 grams of fiber; fruits, vegetables,and beans are other good sources.

Water

Every cell in your body needs water to thrive, and your brain cells are no exception; in fact, about three-quarters of your brain is water. A small Ohio University study found that people whose bodies were well hydrated scored significantly better on tests of brainpower, compared with those who weren’t drinking enough.

Drink it: Throughout the day; aim to sip 6 to 8 glasses total.

Alcohol (in moderation)

While chronic, heavy drinking can cause serious dementia, research shows that imbibing lightly may protect the brain. In one JAMA study, people who had one to six drinks a week were 54% less likely to develop dementia than teetotalers. Experts aren’t sure why, but some doctors point out that moderate drinkers have reduced rates of heart disease, too. Small amounts of alcohol may protect both the heart and brain by preventing blockages in blood vessels.

Drink it: Once a day or less-and have no more than one drink. f you have a family history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor

Coffee

Caffeine is another substance wherein the dose makes the poison: In excess, it can cause brain fog, but in moderate amounts, caffeine can improve attention span, reaction time, and other brain skills. One French study found that women over 65 who drank three or more cups of coffee a day were better able to recall words than women who consumed little or none. Another review showed that coffee drinkers may cut AD risk by up to 30%.

Drink it: Daily, limiting caffeine intake to 300 to 400 mg; an 8-ounce cup of coffee has around 100 mg.

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.

To Harness Neuroplasticity, Start with Enthusiasm
By: Dr. Helena Popovic

We are the architects and builders of our own brains.

For millennia, however, we were oblivious to our enormous creative capabilities. We had no idea that our brains were changing in response to our actions and attitudes, every day of our lives. So we unconsciously and randomly shaped our brains and our latter years because we believed we had an immutable brain that was at the mercy of our genes.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The human brain is continually altering its structure, cell number, circuitry and chemistry as a direct result of everything we do, experience, think and believe. This is called “neuroplasticity”. Neuroplasticity comes from two words: neuron or nerve cell and plastic, meaning mal­leable or able to be molded.

The implications of neuroplasticity are enormous: we have the ability to keep our brains sharp, effective and capable of learning new skills well into our 90s, if we protect our brains from dam­aging habits and give them ongoing stimulation and appropriate fuel. One way to illustrate this is to think of the brain and mind as a large boat, complete with captain and crew, sailing the ocean blue.

The captain makes the decisions and gives the orders, which the loyal crew follow. Without a captain, the boat would be directionless. Without a crew, the day-to-day running of the boat would be impossible. The crew know their role and don’t need the captain to tell them how to do their job or to remind them of their job on a daily basis. They’re very well trained. The captain only notifies the crew if he or she wants something to change and takes charge whenever leader­ ship is required. As for the boat, it needs to be kept in good nick and fueled on a regular basis.

The captain, the crew and the boat form a single, interdependent unit, each party influencing the other two. If the captain and crew don’t do their job properly, the boat can get damaged and end up in disrepair. If the boat is damaged, the journey is more arduous; in particular, rough seas are more difficult to handle. If the captain is apathetic, incompetent or drunk, there is an absence of leadership. And if the captain and crew are in constant disagreement, they won’t get very far.

How does this relate to the brain and mind? The captain represents the conscious mind; the crew represent the subconscious mind; the boat is the brain; and the ocean is life.

The conscious mind is the thinking part of ourselves. It sets goals, makes decisions and interprets experiences. The subconscious mind is the part of ourselves beneath our conscious awareness that keeps us alive and running. It’s what keeps our hearts pumping, our lungs expanding and our hair growing. We don’t consciously say to ourselves, “Pump, breathe, grow!”-these things are handled subconsciously, through the autonomic nervous system. The number one priority of the subconscious mind is our survival: physical, emotional and psychological. This is why our sub ­conscious plays a powerful role in dictating behaviour. It prioritises our emotional wellbeing over our conscious wants. It’s why sometimes we consciously think we want one thing, but still end up doing another. One reason that diets don’t work is they don’t address subconscious issues that may be at play. We always sabotage our efforts if the subconscious pay-offs for not chang­ ing override the conscious desire to lose weight. Finally, the brain is the vessel through which our conscious and subconscious minds operate.

Based on the analogy of boat, captain and crew, the following is an overview of how we can boost our brains.

1. Don’t damage the boat.
On day one in medical school, I was taught Primum non nocere-“First do no harm”. No boat owner would knowingly damage their boat, so it follows that no human would knowingly dam­age his brain. Apart from the obvious injury caused by falling off ladders and falling into illegal drugs, things which harm the brain and reduce our cognitive abilities include smoking, stress, sleep deprivation, soft drinks, sedentary lifestyles, excessive alcohol, junk food, high blood pres­sure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, loneliness, pessimism and negative self-talk. Goal number one is to avoid these damaging entities.

2. Dock the boat in stimulating surroundings.
Our brain function improves in every measurable way when we find ourselves in environments that are mentally, physically and socially stimulating. Adventure prevents dementia!

3. Fuel it the finest.
Our dietary choices affect not only the health of our bodies but also the health of our brains. In fact our brains consume one fifth of all the nutrients and kilojoules we ingest. What we eat has a significant impact on our neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages between neurons across synapses), our alertness, our mood and our cognitive functioning.

4. Keep the cargo light.
Obesity is a major risk factor for dementia.

5. Run the motor.
Without physical exercise our brains waste away as much as our muscles waste away. Exercise actually induces the growth of new brain cells.

6. Learn the ropes and keep on learning.
Having a good education and engaging in lifelong, active learning help to protect us from dementia and contribute to our developing “cognitive reserve”. This reserve acts as a buffer against mental decline as we age.

7. Sail to new shores.
Boredom and monotony are poisonous to our brains. We need to get out there, get exploring and get out of our comfort zones. We need to sail to new shores to find riches outside our usual boundaries. We need to change our routines, do things differently and give ourselves ongoing challenges.

8. Use it or lose it.
This applies to every function of the brain and body, from studying to socialising to sex. In order to maintain our capacity for learning new skills, we need to engage in learning new skills on a regular basis. In order to become creative, inventive and resourceful, we need to give ourselves tasks that require creativity, inventiveness and resourcefulness. In order to have a good memory, we need to make a conscious effort to pay attention. In order to remain socially adept, we need to remain socially active.

9. Train it and regain it.
If we lose a specific brain function, all is not lost. Progressive, persistent, goal-focused practice can help us regain the lost function.

10. Charge the battery.
Stilling the mind is as important as stimulating the mind. Getting adequate sleep and pressing the pause button on our mind chatter are essential for peak performance on a day-to-day basis, as well as preservation of brain function as we age.

11. Connect with fellow travelers.
Lifelong social interaction and meaningful connection with others is vital for a healthy brain.

12. Choose the destination.
The brain is a teleological device-it is fed by having goals to strive for and aspirations to work towards. The clearer we are about where we want to go and what we want to achieve, the more effective the brain is in accomplishing the required tasks. This is analogous to the captain giving the crew clear instructions about where they’re going and what is expected of them.

13. Command the crew.
Having decided on what we want, we need to direct our self-talk to support our goals.Our inter­nal dialogue is a constant stream of instructions to the subconscious mind. Uplifting, solution­ focused self-talk switches on brain cell activity; negative, discouraging self-talk dampens it.

14. Communicate gratitude.
When we think about what we’re thankful for, we wire our brains to continue finding things to be thankful for. Our brains are designed so that we see whatever we’re looking for. We are never objective, even when we make a concerted effort to be so. Subjectivity always enters our percep­tions. We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are. Therefore, by regularly reflecting on things that we’re grateful for, we construct a filter through which we see the world and we create more experiences for which to feel grateful.

15. Practise perfectly.
When we practise a skill in our imaginations, the same neurons are firing as if we were perform­ing the skill in real life! If we see ourselves executing a task perfectly in the mind’s eye, we become better at it in the real world because every mental rehearsal increases the efficiency of electrical transmissions between the involved nerve cells. Mental practice turbocharges our progress.

16. Bon voyage!
Enjoy the journey! Get excited about where you’re going. Passion, enthusiasm and excitement are the most powerful brain fuels of all. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek entheos, meaning “to be divinely inspired or possessed by a god”.

Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm.”

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.

All Exercise Benefits Your Brain

The stimulation to the brain, created by exercise directly effects the brain function in the several ways, for example, it reduces cortisol in the brain, the stress hormone, letting you think more clearly. ln addition, it produces dopamine, an active neurotransmitter that affects your movement control and your state of well being. Exercise creates new neurons in the motor cortex and cerebellum and generates new connections between different parts of the brain.

Any exercise that you do improves your brain in one sense or another. If possible, we recommend they try both new and more complex exercises. The more the brain perceives the exercise as complex and new, the more brain activity is stimulated.

The idea is to consistently create coordination and concentration through the execution of body exercises. Also recommended is both aerobic and strength training.

Any exercise benefits your brain. But SBSB exercises have been specially targeted to improve your brain at the same time that your body.

Super Body Super Brain (SBSB) is a body exercise program created by Michael Gonzalez­ Wallace, whose objective is to get you in shape and, at the same time, enhance your brain. It is based on the concept that surprise keeps the brain at peak efficiency.

Generally speaking, the stimulation that movement performs in the brain, affects brain function in the following terms:

• It reduces cortisol in the brain, the stress hormone, letting you think more clearly.
• It produces dopamine, an active neurotransmitter that affects your movement control and your state of well being.
• Exercise creates new neurons in the motor cortex and cerebellum.
• It generates new connections between different parts of the brain.

Summarizing, by doing exercise, you can actually get smarter.

Any exercise that you do improves your brain in one sense or another. That is why I recommend to my clients that they perform the exercise that suits them the better. However, if possible, I recommend them to try new and more complex exercises. The more the brain perceives the exercise as complex and new, the more brain activity is stimulated.

That is exactly the focus of the SBSB method: to create a continuous demand of balance, coordination and concentration through the execution of body exercises. Furthermore, Michael’s exercises include aerobic and strength-training moves to rev up your metabolism and make your muscles lean and strong.

The result is a set of exercises that if done for 10 minutes daily, lead you to a better body and a more intelligent brain.

If you want to know more about the complete exercise plan, you may prefer to read the book that explains the whole technique and contains a detailed weekly training plan.

Prevention News
Exercise And Mental Stimulation Prevent Dementia
Smart New Strategies To Ward Off Dementia
Do ’em every day, keep memory loss at bay

A daily walk, a good book, a game of checkers. They’re more than mere simple pleasures, finds new research: These everyday activities might be your best defense against age-related mental decline, according to two new studies presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

In one study, a team from Rush University Medical Center and the Illinois Institute of Technology recruited 152 older adults and measured the structural integrity of each participant’s brain. The researchers then examined how much time each senior spent on mentally stimulating activities, including reading, writing, attending the theater, or playing games like chess.

People who regularly partook in the stimulating activities showed healthier densities of “white matter”-the parts of the brain that transmit information-than those who didn’t. In other words: if you don’t use it, you lose it, says study author Konstantinos Arfanakis, PhD, with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center, though he adds that it’s difficult to speculate the precise brain mechanisms responsible for the connection. (Want to use your noggin right now?

In a separate study, a UCLA team recruited nearly 900 older adults and measured the volume of gray matter-the part of the brain that manages muscle control, memory, speech, and senses-of each participant. The most active men and women were significantly more likely to have healthy volumes of gray matter, according to study author Cyrus Raji, MD, PhD, a radiology resident at UCLA. They were also more likely to have dodged dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other forms of age-related mental decline.

In fact, those who burned more than 3,000 calories per week during the 20 year study span retained 5% more gray matter than their sedentary peers, which Raji describes as a “tremendous” difference. Why? Exercise increases blood flow, delivering oxygen and glucose to the brain while simultaneously reducing the build-up of harmful plaques, he explains.

So what’s the formula for optimal brain health? Reading a newspaper or book for an hour, writing a letter, attending a play, sitting down for a game of chess or checkers-Arfanakis recommends at least two of these activities every day.

And when it comes to exercise, almost any type of physical activity will do the trick, Raji says. Swimming, biking, hiking, dancing-even mowing the lawn-will help ward of dementia.

Neuroplasticity: how the brain is capable of change

Scientists have historically believed that once a person reaches adulthood, their cognitive abilities are immutable. But beginning in the early twentieth century, that theory has been contested by evidence suggesting that the brain’s abilities are in fact malleable and plastic. According to this principle of neuroplasticity, the brain is constantly changing in response to various experiences. New behaviors, new learnings, and even environmental changes or physical injuries may all stimulate the brain to create new neural pathways or reorganize existing ones, fundamentally altering how information is processed.

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.

The term executive function describes a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors. Executive functions are necessary for goal directed behavior. They include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations. Executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations. The ability to form concepts and think abstractly are often considered components of executive function.

Read more: http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Executive­-function.html

In other words, executive function is a set of mental processes that help connect past experience with present situation/action. We use it when we plan, organize, strategize, notice and remember details, manage time, manage space and control our impulses (for instance curb our desire to say or do something inappropriate.).

Cooking
An activity that you can do in the home could be to have the client pick out a recipe from their own cook book. Have the client write down a shopping list containing everything that is needed for that recipe, and talk about what cooking supplies you should use. If possible, shop for the things together. If not possible, that is also okay. Look in the ads from the grocery stores, to get an estimated idea of the budget for the recipe, help only as little as needed, and in a respectful and kind way, so the client feels competent. You can start out Monday with the planning, do shopping a different day, and the cooking on a third day. You can even prepare some of the chopping the day before the actual cooking. This activity can be tailored from the highest functioning Sapphire to the Emerald, in my experience. Even the other Gems, who can no longer engage in planning, should be involved when possible, even if it means watching you cook while they hold a carrot or something.

Laundry
Laundry is a great activity for planning and strategizing!

We need to sort the clothes, and we also need to look at the sizes of the loads, so we don’t wash a load that is uneconomical because it is too small, right? (Any excuse to get the brain activated works) When do we need the particular piece of clothing?
Can it wait some days, so the load can grow bigger?
Which cycle should we use? How much time do we have today, how many loads. Ask for help even when you don’t need it, just be careful that it is not too obvious …

Most ADL’s can be used in this manner—Appropriate board games for higher functioning clients could be problem solving and sequencing games.

Mastermind (Perhaps only for Sapphire, but we mustn’t forget our Sapphires in our eager to help the other Gems).

Chess—Connect 4 stackers.

Solving problems with the help of clues, like logic puzzles. There are logic puzzles that you can download and print for free on the internet, and they vary in difficulty. Building with blocks, or playdoh really works multiple skills.Often pictures come along with this kind of activity, and you can ask the client to build a replica. This will activate planning, sequencing, attention to detail, and much more.

Texture Dominoes

 

Product Description

Touch-and-match dominoes feature six different textures to develop tactile discrimination. Each end, coded with a color and texture. Set of 28 dominoes (2-3/4″ x 1-3/8″ each). Stores in a sturdy wooden box.

 

Plumber’s Puzzle
Price: $45.50
This set with a hardwood mounting base (11″ x 3-112″),30 pieces of plastic pipe of various lengths, and 24 PVC connectors will encourage creative construction and manipulative motion. An independent activity that’s sure to appeal to you.
Product Number: 9718466C

Wood-Like Foam Blocks
Price: $37.75
Unique lightweight, wood-looking foam block set with block cut shapes for construction and building.
Blocks range in size from 1-1/4″ circle to 5-1/2″ x 2-3/4″ rectangle. Includes BO pieces.
Product Number: SN01819C

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.

By: Dr. Pascale Michelon

In addition to genetic factors, the environment in which a person lives, as well as the actions of that person, play a role in plasticity.

Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain:

1- At the beginning of life: when the immature brain organizes itself.

2- In case of brain injury: to compensate for lost functions or maximize remaining functions.

3-Through adulthood: whenever something new is learned and memorized

Plasticity and brain injury

A surprising consequence of neuroplasticity is that the brain activity associated with a given function can move to a different location as a consequence of nonnal experience, brain damage or recovery.

In his book “The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science,” Nonnan Doidge describes numerous examples of functional shifts.

In one of them, a surgeon in his 50s suffers a stroke. His left arm is paralyzed. During his reha­bilitation, his good arm and hand are immobilized, and he is set to cleaning tables. The task is at first impossible. Then slowly the bad arm remembers how to move. He learns to write again, to play tennis again: the functions of the brain areas killed in the stroke have transferred themselves to healthy regions!

The brain compensates for damage by reorganizing and fonning new connections between intact neurons. In order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity.

Plasticit, learning and memot

For a long time, it was believed that as we aged, the connections in the brain became fixed. Research has shown that in fact the brain never stops changing through learning. Plasticity IS the capacity of the brain to change with learning. Changes associated with learning occur mostly at the level of the connections between neurons. New connections can form and the internal struc­ture of the existing synapses can change.

Did you know that when you become an expert in a specific domain, the areas in your brain that deal with this type of skill will grow?

For instance, London taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus (in the posterior region) than Lon­don bus drivers (Maguire, Woollett, & Spiers, 2006). Why is that? It is because this region of the hippocampus is specialized in acquiring and using complex spatial information in order to navigate efficiently. Taxi drivers have to navigate around London whereas bus drivers follow a lim­ited set of routes.

Plasticity can also be observed in the brains of bilinguals (Mechelli et al., 2004). It looks like learning a second language is possible through functional changes in the brain: the left inferior parietal cortex is larger in bilingual brains than in monolingual brains.

Plastic changes also occur in musicians brains compared to non-musicians. Gaser and Schlaug (2003) compared professional musicians (who practice at least l hour per day) to amateur musi­cians and non-musicians. They found that gray matter (cortex) volume was highest in profes­sional musicians, intermediate in amateur musicians, and lowest in non-musicians in several brain areas involved in playing music: motor regions, anterior superior parietal areas and inferior temporal areas.

Finally, Draganski and colleagues (2006) recently showed that extensive learning of abstract information can also trigger some plastic changes in the brain. They imaged the brains of German medical students 3 months before their medical exam and right after the exam and com­pared them to brains of students who were not studying for exam at this time. Medical students’ brains showed learning-induced changes in regions of the parietal cortex as well as in the poste­rior hippocampus. These regions of the brains are known to be involved in memory retrieval and learning.

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.

• In numerous research studies, brain healthy activities have been proven to actually delay cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer’s Disease
• Every 5.7 seconds a new case of dementia in the world
• Every 57 seconds someone is diagnosed with AD
• Any kind of stress can create problems with our memory and destroy neural pathways

Your Brain’s Vital Functions

1. Attention: The ability to increase your “ATTENTION” will in tum, increase both your math and reading performance. In addition, both visual and hearing memory can improve. Attention is what helps us focus on things and shut out the things that aren’t necessary. Attention assists with movement, emotions, and sensations, allowing the brain to make sense of all that is around us.

2. Memory: General memory facilitates the formation, activation, and retention of neurological circuits that contribute to your brain’s optimal functioning. Memory is the veritable bedrock of superior brain health and serves as the basis of your personal identity.

3. Working memory: Working memory is linked with your IQ and is the first brain function to decline as you age. It is central to your ability to manipulate stored information and can easily be improved by practicing a series of simple exercises.

Brain Fitness promotes stronger memory and improves brain function through all ages. Recent studies show that the brain constantly revises itself. “brain plasticity”.

Scientists used to believe that the brain developed all of its major functionality-that is, the “wiring” of the brain that supports hearing, seeing, feeling, thinking, emotions and the control of movements-in early infancy. The “mature” brain was thought to be unchangeable, like a computer with all its wires permanently soldered together.

Our brains have the lifelong ability to adapt and build is termed “neuroplasticity”. The neural pathways, more like the information highways, are the foundation of our cognitive skills which determine how efficiently we are able to process information. Because the brain is always adapting and building, our ability to think, remember and learn is never static, it can always be upgraded and improved!

Ground breaking research in the area of neuroscience shows that regular brain fitness training can provides tremendous benefits to people of all ages, including those who are experiencing cognitive decline due to age, disease, trauma or chemotherapy. Neuroplasticity which enables the neurons (brain cells) to make new pathways with new learning and adaptive experiences.

Brain Flex is a brain fitness program which provides you with a personal brain trainer. Brain Flex includes a variety of activities that will assist in creating these new neural pathways and strengthen the existing ones. Activities are personally designed each one of our clients. The activities provided will provide opportunity to stimulate all areas of the brain and will especially focus on the areas which may prove to need more attention. In addition, age appropriate exercise that increases coordination and balance will also be available.

***Through various cognitive testing, we will personally design a “strategic action plan” based upon the results of those tests.

 

The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for professional health care. You should consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether making a lifestyle change or decision based on this information is appropriate for you.