There are many myths that have developed over the years about aging and brain health, but new studies and the use of technology is showing us that what we once thought about middle age brain health decline are largely incorrect.
Here are ten myths about the aging brain, which have proven not to be true, excerpted from an article in the Huffington Post this morning. Link is at the end:
1 MYTH ONE: We lose 30 percent of our brain cells as we age.
For many years, even the most eminent neuroscientists thought that
millions of our brain cells simply shriveled up and died as we got
aged. But new brain scanning studies show that, as long as we're
healthy, we actually keep most of our brain cells for as long as we
live.
2. MYTH TWO: Our brains stop developing in our 20s.
It's now known that our brain continue to develop, change and
adapt. Growth of white matter and brain connections that we gain
through years of experience allow us to recognize patterns faster, make
better judgments and find unique solutions to problems. Scientist call
these traits cognitive expertise and they reach their peak in middle
age.
3. MYTH THREE: Midlife crises are inevitable.
Long-term studies now show that people find middle age the most
satisfactory time in their lives. In fact, brain changes in midlife
make us more optimistic, not less. And recent research shows that those
who have emotional upheavals in midlife have, in many cases, had
similar emotional distress at other times in their lives.
4. MYTH FOUR: The empty nest syndrome.
More recent studies of real people -- men and women -- find that
our lives, and our moods, often improve when the kids leave home.
5. MYTH FIVE: Our brains operate best in our 20s.
In fact, our brains, in most important areas, reach their peak in
midlife. We get better in a whole range of areas, including inductive
reasoning, vocabulary, judgment, even the ability to get the "gist'' of
an argument and find solutions. There is evidence that we can also
become more creative as we age.
MYTH SIX: Our brains start to fade away.
Actually, brains in middle age begin to "power up'' not down. In
some cases, we learn to use two parts of our brain instead of one to
solve problems. And it is those with the highest cognitive abilities
who learn to use their brains this way.
MYTH SEVEN: Dementia is inevitable.
On the contrary. We now have enough people living long enough to
show that dementia is not inevitable. There are increasing numbers of
what are called "pristine agers,'' whose brains remain largely intact
well into their 90s.
MYTH EIGHT: There is nothing we can do to improve our brains.
New research shows that middle age is a time when the brain is "on
the cusp,'' and that what we do matters, even what we think matters.
There is increasing evidence -- not hype but solid evidence -- that
shows that such things as exercise, education and even what we eat does
make a difference. Since we now know that we do not lose whole swaths
of brain cells, there is a full-tilt effort to find out how to keep
those brain cells intact.
Those who research the ingredients in red wine, for instance, are
racing to put it in a pill. New studies in animals and humans show that
new baby brain cells are born in the brain, with something as simple as
aerobic exercise.
And those who research how adults learn have found that one way to
keep our brains alive and growing is to actively explore ideas -- and
people -- that challenge our view of the world.
This can create what Jack Mezirow, professor emeritus at Columbia
Teachers College, has called a "disorienting dilemma'' in our minds
that, as another researcher put it, "shakes up the cognitive egg,''
prompting our brain cells to wake up, reconfigure and -- with a little
luck -- rejuvenate.
Full article
I heard a story this morning on NPR about this, and it confirms what many of you have read on these pages, that exercise and diet help keep you healthy, brain and body. In addition, it is becoming clear we can tease our brain into growing by doing new things, looking at things in new ways, and challenging our brain to work hard at something it normally does not do.
Maybe I will try to understand my son's calculus textbook tonight.