Episode 14: Happy Seniors’ Month with Dr. Andrea Wilkinson
In celebration of Seniors’ Month in Ontario, Dr. Andrea Wilkinson was invited to speak at the Toronto Seniors Services Event at City Hall in Toronto. The event was held in June to celebrate Seniors month in Ontario. This year, 2019, marks the 35th annual Seniors Month in Ontario and the theme is “Aging Strong”. For Dr. Andrea Wilkinson, it was an absolute honour to be invited to speak at Toronto’s City Hall about BrainShape, and to share the scientific research that supports our four key pillars of brain health: physical fitness, nutrition, socializing and mental considerations (including sleep, stress reduction and mental challenges). The mission at BrainShape is to support and cultivate a lifestyle that fosters brain health across the four pillars through education and inspiration shared through our podcast, online education and live events. If you’re interested in hearing Dr. Andrea Wilkinson speak live about BrainShape’s approach to brain health, you don’t want to miss this episode. How are you “Aging Strong”?
What is Brain Plasticity?
Our brain’s unique ability to change and modify in response to our environment and experiences is called “brain plasticity” and it happens in three key ways:
Physically: the size and thickness of the different types of neuronal layers in our brains can change
Functionally: how quickly and efficiently we process information can be altered
Chemically: concentration of brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) can also change in response to our experiences and environment
Productive Engagement vs. Receptive Engagement
According to Dr. Denise Park, there are two different types of engagement: productive and receptive. “Productive engagement” is the acquisition of novel information (new learning), and it requires engagement in sustained mental challenges. “Receptive engagement,” on the other hand, is more about passive observation with familiar materials and knowledge. Relatively speaking, receptive engagement is less mentally demanding, as it relies on existing knowledge. One example of a “receptive engagement” task is doing a crossword puzzle, because you are trying to recall information that you already hold within your mind. It relies on your existing knowledge.
The Synapse Project
The Synapse Project was published in 2014 by Dr. Denise Park from the Center of Vital Longevity in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Park was interested in examining the differences between “productive engagements” versus “receptive engagements” on mental performance and brain function. Pursuant of this goal, 221 people engaged in a 14-week program (15-hours per week). They were divided into three groups: productive engagement group, receptive engagement group, and a control group. In the productive engagement group, participants learned photography, quilting or a combination of the two. In the receptive engagement group, participants either did group activities, such as puzzles, cooking, going on fieldtrips, etc. or did solo brain activities, such as crosswords and watching documentaries. Last, there was a no treatment control group.
After the 14-week program, individuals in both the productive and receptive engagement groups showed improvement in memory, but the productive engagement group showed significantly greater improvements in memory, as compared to the receptive group. In addition, brain scans were done on a subset of individuals and people in the productive engagement group were better able to recruit additional brain regions in association with a difficult task. In other words, individuals in the productive engagement group were better able to moderate their brain activation in response to the challenge.
A year after people had finished the program, they looked at people’s brain activation patterns again and found that, while some of the brain changers were maintained, many returned back to baseline levels. This suggests that we have to continuously engage in mentally challenging tasks for the brain benefits to last.
Four Pillars to Brain Health
Physical Fitness
In order to have a healthy brain, you have to move your body. The recommendation is to move your body for 150 minutes a week, which can be divided into five 30-minute sessions per week (see Guidelines here). It is better to move your body in some way every single day, even if that’s just walking around your block or going to the park with your dog. Moving your body is so important for your brain health. One research study showed that we grow around 700 new brain cells every single day. These new brain cells (called neurons) grow specifically in an area of the brain called the hippocampus (associated with learning and memory). When people are physically exercising, the amount of new brain cells grown daily has been shown to double or even triple.
Food and Nutrition
We have all heard it before. Eating well is important for your brain. It’s very important to nourish your body with whole foods - it’s not just about a single type of food, nutrient or spice. It’s really about having a global healthy diet. For example, be sure to eats lots of vegetables and fruits that are rich in antioxidants.
Did you know that the human brain is made up of 60% fat? As such, we need to be consuming a healthy balance of omega 3s and omega 6s (e.g., avocado, salmon, eggs). Since our body doesn’t naturally produce fatty acids (e.g., omega 3s and 6s), we have to consume them with the food that we eat.
Socializing
Verbally communicating with others in a meaningful way is a very complex mental task. But, how much we each need to socialize is really an individual need. If you are an extrovert, you may want and need more social interactions than an introvert. It’s not about making yourself uncomfortable, but really incorporating socializing in a way that’s appropriate and meaningful for you.
Mental Consideration
Mental considerations do not only include mental challenges, but also involves getting enough sleep and managing your stress levels (cortisol, the stress hormone, is bad for our brains). When it comes to mental challenges, remember that there is no finite list of activities that exist to exercise your brain. We all have different needs. What you need for brain fitness is different from what your partner, best friend, or neighbour needs for their brain fitness. What you need to do to challenge yourself mentally is unique to you and it needs to be grounded in your own interests, hobbies and skill set.
Lifestyle and Brain Function
In 2015, the Finger Study was published (Ngandu et al., 2015). This study involved a two-year intervention, where researcher looked at 1260 (at-risk, but cognitively intact) older adults. They were interested in looking at people’s overall cognitive functions or how their mental abilities function over time. Half of the 1260 individuals went through a “Lifestyle Makeover” and were given “General Health Advice”. Those in the “Lifestyle Makeover” group were taught about: diet, brain exercises, physical exercise, cardiovascular monitoring, and socializing. Specifically, they were taught about how to eat well with a nutritionist; they did some brain training on the computer; they were monitored for their cardiovascular health and completed physical exercise classes with an instructor. All of their learning took place in a group context, so they also had lots of opportunities to socialize. The control group just got some general health advice. Results showed that both people in the lifestyle makeover group and the control group showed significant improvements in their overall mental functioning across the 2-years; however, improvements were greater for people with lifestyle makeover groups. In particular, individuals in the lifestyle makeover group showed greater improvements in higher-level thinking (executive functions), faster thinking speed, and greater improvements in memory. The Finger Study was the first multi-domain lifestyle intervention study that showed that a combination of lifestyle factors (diet, brain exercises, socializing, physical fitness) and monitoring your cardiovascular health were able to prevent or slow down cognitive decline. In addition, the researchers found that there was a 30% greater risk of cognitive decline in the control group (relative to the lifestyle makeover group).
Note – for people who have the generic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia (ApoE4), the effects of modifying lifestyle factors may be even stronger.
What we do at BrainShape
At BrainShape, we want to help support and cultivate a lifestyle that fosters brain health, across the four pillars, in healthy adults (aged 60 or above). We share brain health research and inspiration on our weekly podcast, online education and in-person live events. The rules are simple:
1. Exercise your body.
2. Eat well.
3. Socialize.
4. Make sure you are engaging in mental challenges.
5. Get enough sleep.
6. Moderate your stress levels.
But, execution is hard. Moreover, there is no one-size-fits-all solutions to brain health. At BrainShape, our goal is to help guide and support people along their brain health journey.
To learn more about BrainShape, visit our website at www.BrainShape.ca.