When I was in medical school, the prevailing belief was that once we reached physical maturity, our brains were fully formed and ceased to make new brain tissue. Therefore, all of the conditions associated with aging (e.g. head trauma, hypoxia, heart attacks) gradually depleted the neurons in brains, causing them to atrophy until we succumbed to senile dementia … Depressing, right? Fortunately, we were wrong.
We’ve since learned that our brains are not the static organs we thought they were, but are dynamic, alterable and have the incredible potential for growing, rewiring and healing. Neurogenesis (the ability to make new neurons) and neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to reorganize and build new neural pathways as a response to stimulation) continue well into old age. Which means that we are, in fact, architects of our own brains.
Your Brain’s Superhighway
Think of the brain as 100,000 miles of interconnected roads (or, neural pathways). Every time we move, learn something new, recall a fact or recognize someone, messages travel like cars along these pathways at nearly three hundred miles per hour to get us to our destination (i.e. enable us to perform a task).
For example, say you want to learn something new (e.g. the list of presidents or how to play a new song on the guitar) – think of that skill as a destination (e.g. Boston). Once you’ve learned that skill, you’ve built a neural pathway to Boston. Keep doing it, and you’ve soon created a better, faster freeway to get there. However, stop using that road, and eventually potholes develop, and you won’t be able to get there as fast, or at all. In other words …
Use It Or Lose It! Don’t Let Your Brain Atrophy – Learning new things and keeping our level of brain activity up is a virtual fountain of youth.
When we use the skills and knowledge we have, the many connections within the brain remain functional and in the best shape they can be. Don’t use them, and they become more difficult to use (if not completely unusable) through a process known as synaptic
pruning, whereby the brain atrophies in areas where these functions are no longer (or rarely) used.
Atrophy of the brain used to be viewed as a common side effect to aging. Now, we know this may simply be a lack of use. Continue doing those Sudoku puzzles, playing the guitar, speaking a second language, cooking a new recipe … This equates to basic maintenance of our brain function. Neuroplasticity and effective neurogenesis can only occur when the brain is stimulated by environment or behavior. This involves us using our brain, and challenging it to keep the connections it has and to grow more. The added benefit of learning something new is that when we are fully focused on a task, we become mindful and less stressed.
By learning new things and keeping your mind engaged, managing the self-induced stress response and by keeping stress monsters at bay, your brain can continue to function at high levels for a lifetime. Live long; Live well!
By: Roger Landry, MD, MPH
Award-Winning Author of: Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic Health and Successful Aging
This article is intended for general informational and educational purposes only, and should not be construed as financial or tax advice. For more information about whether a reverse mortgage may be right for you, you should consult an independent financial advisor. For tax advice, please consult a tax professional.
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