Healthy Aging A focus on brain fitness

1. Healthy AgingA focus on brain fitness Julie Masters, PhD Department of Gerontology

2. A quick thank you to: • Aging Partners • Peggy Apthorpe and Deb Peck • Jeanette Walsh • My partners in crime…Steve Wengel & Barb Bayer

3. Goals of Brain Fitness • Our goal is not to achieve a youthful brain – but to maintain our cognitive abilities. Would you want the brain of a teenager again? • Seeking out “neuroprotective” ways to maintain our brains • What can I do to maintain AND enhance my brain? Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

4. What do we know about healthy brains? • Minimal cardiovascular disease • A diet containing fruits and vegetables • Exercise, exercise, exercise • Stimulating and novel environments • A belief one can still learn new information

5. You can teach an old dog new tricks

6. Compression of Morbidity Source: http://phprimer.afmc.ca/Part3-PracticeImprovingHealth/Chapter8IllnessPreventionAndHealthPromotion/Thegoalofprevention

7. Our fears Old-timers disease Senility Not being aware things are going horribly wrong Keep in mind there is more to the story

8. Sensory Memory How it all begins… • First point of contact for a potential memory • What you see, hear, taste, smell or touch • Echoic memory (sounds) Iconic memory (sights) • Shows little change with age – esp. iconic memory • Large capacity, but short-lived store (doesn’t stick around very long)

9. ..without it (attention), nothing else matters! Source: Google Images

10. Creating fit brains… Source: Google Images

11. Frontal Lobe – the front man of the operation • Where it all begins! • Organizing activities • Maintaining attention – more about this later • Having flexibility • The executive center – structure and organization • The ability to ignore unimportant information Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

12. Attention and Self-Regulation – Stroop Test Say the color you see and not the word you read Source: http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2006/10/05/brain-exercise-the-stroop-test/

13. What the frontal lobe brings to the table • Processing new words and information • Ability to take in new information • However, while seemingly the key to overall success, the frontal lobe is dependent on other areas of the brain to not only learn information but to retain it. http://brainmadesimple.com/frontal-lobe.html Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

14. Training the brain Source: Google Images

15. Frontal Lobe Training Cerebral challenges – to get out of same old rut • Turning your mouse on its side and learning how to work it correctly • Think about all the things you can buy at the grocery store that begin with an A. Write down the list and be sure to time yourself. Keep working through the alphabet to see how many words you can generate. Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

16. A close friend of the frontal lobe Source: http://brainmadesimple.com/parietal-lobe.html

17. Parietal Lobe • Responsible for visually guided movements • Eye-hand coordination • Reaching, pointing and grabbing Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

18. Training the Parietal Lobe Pac-Man http://www.freepacman.org/ • Target positions • Track moving objects • Navigating changing environments • Avoidance maneuvers Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

19. Training the Parietal Lobe • Tanagram puzzles – seven shapes • 3-D puzzles • Navigation Tests (mazes)

20. Temporal Lobe – The brains of the operation • Processing auditory information • Production and understanding of language • Houses the hippocampus • Ability to remember faces and places Source: Tippett, W.J. (2013) Building an Ageless Mind

21. Temporal Lobe It’s all about US – what makes us who we are

22. Temporal Lobe training • Novel tasks are key • Nonsense words – consonant, vowel, consonant • Storytelling and recalling events • Foreign language – creating pictures and leave around the house to memorize

23. Occipital Lobe • Processing what we see • From eyes ->optic nerve -> occipital lobe

24. Training the Occipital Lobe • Learning to wink with both eyes…

25. Eight Habits to Improve Cognitive Function

26. 1. Improving cognitive function Exercise, exercise, exercise • Physical activity • Find a place you love and make it a habit to appreciate it year-round. • Enhancing cognitive abilities – getting oxygen and blood to the brain Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

27. 2. Openness to Experience • Learn the alphabet backwards! zxywvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba • Learn a new language – starting with “A” • Do things that are unfamiliar and mentally challenging. • Flexing your memory and learning. Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

28. 3. Curiosity and Creativity Ways to improve brain function • Reading a novel – getting into the story • Learning to play a musical instrument • Creativity increases with age! Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

29. 4. Social Connections • Loneliness can result in cognitive decline • Connecting with others by volunteering, socializing can help your brain • Ask lots of questions Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

30. 5. Mindfulness Meditation • Meditation can have wonderful benefits for the brain • There is some evidence that meditation may slow some age-related decline Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

31. 6. Brain Training Games • Mazes and other games can help improve reasoning and processing speed • Challenge your mind in new and different ways Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

32. 7. Get Enough Sleep • Sleep helps our brains to process our learning and memory acquired earlier in the day. • Not getting enough sleep is a problem for our brains and can actually reduce the “volume of gray matter throughout the frontal lobe.” Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

33. 8. Reduce Chronic Stress • Stress can damage our brains • As stress increases so does the amount of cortisol in our bodies. We are in a state of constant fight or flight – not a good thing. • Managing stress can help us to regulate our bodies and live healthier lives. Bergland, C. (2014). Eight habits that improve cognitive function. Psychology Today

34. Next Steps…

35. Don’t smoke Physical exams & follow MD advice Learn new info. & engage in complex & novel situations Regular exercise – daily walking Socialize – have fun & slow down Financial stability – hire a financial planner Promote spiritual health - & engage in daily prayer Eat less & include antioxidants Strong family & friend relationships Do not retire and maintain a sense of purpose Lifestyle for a Healthy Brain - a sampling Source: Nussbaum, Paul – Love Your Brain

36. Next Steps Look for ways to enhance your brain fitness Protect your brain by attending fall prevention classes, routine physical exams, medication reviews Find ways to promote brain health in the community (OLLI & Aging Partners – Brain Matters: A brain health fair – September 24, 2014)

37. The Lost Keys