A French Senior Apartment is doing art creation, and this type of activity can improve the brain health of the elderly. (Visual China/Photo)
As people age, their brain memory ability generally decreases to varying degrees, which greatly affects people's normal life, because memory problems will not only affect language expression and communication skills, but also affect a large number of abilities involving decision-making and actions. The rapid decline in memory ability may even be a precursor to various dementia such as Alzheimer's disease . According to a research report released by the Global Burden of Disease Project in 2022 in The Lancet Public Health, by 2050, the number of people suffering from dementia in the world may increase significantly from more than 57 million in 2019 to nearly 150 million, an increase of 166%, and the growth rate of some countries in Middle East may even be close to 2,000%. With aging of varying degrees across the world, diseases related to brain health and cognitive abilities are becoming a challenge for people to pursue healthy and longevity around the world.
Recently, a randomized double-blind trial conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University in an elderly population has provided some clues to clinically explore solving problems such as memory and cognition. By performing transcranial AC stimulation on the elderly for four consecutive days, their working and long-term memory is enhanced. Preliminary findings of improving memory in
More than 100 elderly people participating in this study were distributed between 65 and 88 years old, with an average age of over 70 years old. The experimental results show that regulating synchronous low-frequency activity in the parietal cortex of the brain can improve working memory, while regulating synchronous high-frequency activity in the prefrontal cortex can improve long-term memory. Further experiments also found that the effect of memory improvement during the four-day intervention adjustment period can also predict memory improvement after one month, and the effect of memory improvement in people with poor initial cognitive function is more obvious and longer-lasting after receiving intervention adjustment. Related research was published in Nature Neuroscience in September 2022.
study is equivalent to providing some evidence that targeted cognitive regulation can be carried out on memory-related brain areas, thereby continuously developing and utilizing the plasticity of the aging brain. For the problem of maintaining and improving brain cognitive abilities, such a non-invasive intervention method looks attractive and provides certain ideas for developing corresponding medical technologies in reality. However, because it is only a small sample and a short-term preliminary trial, there are still many questions about whether it is clinically feasible, including long-term observation of effect and in-depth research on different memory cognitive patterns. In the future, a lot of research work will still be needed to determine whether it has the potential to solve practical problems. Especially those who already suffer from neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases such as memory disorders, actually need effective interventions.
The human brain is very complex. As for the more known dementia, only the lack of effective means of reversal is lacking, scientists are still not very clear about the specific mechanism of the disease. However, once you suffer from dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, the patient's cognitive ability such as understanding and memory will decline, and even lose the ability to take care of himself. This not only increases the risk of survival for himself, but also puts great pressure on the people who are caring for and other family members. Therefore, with the limited understanding of the disease at present, it is crucial to prevent it as early as possible.
Active cognitive stimulation is better
Participation in physical exercise is one of the relevant risk factors. Many studies have found that regular physical exercise may reduce the risks of structural brain atrophy, cognitive decline, and dementia in the elderly, while sedentary behavior is often related to brain aging. Sitting for a long time refers to the state where a person is awake with extremely low energy consumption, usually sitting or lying down. People who work in the office are limited by their desks and are prone to have longer sitting time. Most retired elderly people at home do not have to go out to work, and it is more common for sitting on sofas and chairs to have a day.In August 2022, David A. Raichlen, a researcher at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, and others studied the specific situations of elderly people participating in exercise and sitting for a long time, and found that even if the same behavior of sitting for a long time and the risk of dementia is very different, the risk of dementia is very different.
If you sit for a long time and watch TV most of the time, the risk of various dementia will increase, but if you mainly use a computer when sitting for a long time, the risk of various dementias will be reduced. The length of time spent on computers and TVs is associated with different risk of dementia, and this result is still significantly present when considering a large number of population characteristics, lifestyle and other variables. The study found that people who actively participate in physical exercise do have a lower risk of dementia, but even considering the situation of physical exercise, it is not enough to change the relationship between different sedentary behaviors and the risk of dementia. Related findings have been published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and these evidences show that the impact of the type and scenarios of long-term sitting on mental health is more critical than the sedentary time itself.
These findings are based on health data of nearly 150,000 participants. The average follow-up time was more than 10 years. Among these elderly people over 60 years old, more than 3,500 patients with various dementia were finally identified. By analyzing the time when the elderly were watching TV and using computers while sitting for a long time, the researchers found that these two different external stimulation methods had the opposite effect on their brain aging. Watching TV is actually equivalent to a passive cognitive activity, which has limited stimulation to the brain. For example, reading, using computers, and even playing electronic games, participating in these activities requires people to actively use the brain. This greater cognitive stimulation may play a role in reducing the risk of dementia.
actually only focuses on energy consumption. Sitting on a computer consumes more energy than watching TV. Correspondingly, the body is relatively more active, and the metabolic level is naturally different. Studies have found that if a person sits for a long time without interruption, the hemodynamics of the cerebral blood vessels will be reduced. Compared with the frequent interaction between humans and computers when using computers, people tend to be motionless when watching TV. Although the study still has certain limitations, combined with relevant scientific evidence, for middle-aged and elderly people, active cognitive stimulation such as sitting while leisure and playing with computers can be more beneficial to brain health than passive cognitive stimulation such as watching TV. And starting to participate more cognitively challenging activities from a young age may help reduce the risk of dementia in later years. This is consistent with the finding that education has a positive effect on maintaining cognitive abilities in a large number of studies.
The elderly can learn to use smartphones
For young people, it is crucial to reduce the risk of mental health diseases such as dementia, increasing the number of years of education, especially paying attention to education before adulthood, and seizing the key stages of cognitive ability development to allow the brain to receive high-quality cognitive stimulation. The human brain is generally used to make progress and withdrawal. Even after adulthood or even after retirement, it can continue to participate in education or other activities that can improve cognitive abilities in various ways, so as to maintain cognitive abilities and delay brain aging. As the latest research reveals, positive cognitive activities such as using computers, reading, and playing games are helpful in reducing the risk of dementia. Once memory ability really begins to decline, current technological means can also be used to assist life and improve corresponding brain functions.
"Elderly people with mild cognitive impairment can also learn how to use smartphones. If they are taught to use some auxiliary memory functions, they can improve their quality of life and independent behavior." Michael K. Scullin, associate professor of the Department of Psychological and Neuroscience, Baylor University, who has long studied cognition and memory, told Southern Weekend reporters, "In addition to learning how to use new technologies, elderly people can also maintain their cognitive functions by maintaining their heart health, sleeping for 7 to 8 hours a night, and paying attention to their diet."
recommends that elderly people learn to use smartphones because Michael Sculin once conducted a randomized control trial. In a four-week trial, elderly people over 70 years old were taught to use sound recording or reminder smartphone software, and then test their prospective memory by assigning some life tasks. Prospective memory refers to whether people remember what they are going to do next. For these elderly people who have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, they cannot remember what they should do next, which greatly affects their quality of life and ability to live independently. The research results show that if they use more digital recording applications or reminder software, the performance and daily life ability of prospective memory are stronger. Related research was published in February 2022 in "The United States Journal of the Society of Geriatrics (JAGS), through intervention experiments, it is feasible to use smartphones to assist elderly people with mild cognitive impairments in improving their memory and self-care ability in life. Considering the huge care burden that may arise from losing their ability to take care of themselves in aging population, how to maintain and improve the daily lives of the elderly in a limited manpower and an effective way is an urgent public issue.
protects brain health and prevents early
Of course, whether it is a smartphone or a computer, although technological advances represented by electronic screens can facilitate life, they also have some disadvantages, such as the impact on vision after long-term use. Michael Sculin told the Southern Weekend reporter that if there is vision disorder, it will be more difficult to use these technological products. , the elderly can consider buying a smartphone with a large screen and then adjust the system's font in the settings. In addition, many mobile phones have voice input functions, and also the function that can be read out loud when receiving notifications and information. These functions can be used to improve the convenience of use. As for the health harm of electronic screens, the elderly should also pay attention to the principle of moderation when using it. For example, it should be reduced when it is late at night, otherwise it may even affect the quality of sleep.
has a lack of effective reversal methods due to the impact of dementia such as memory loss. Early prevention and intervention is important in maintaining brain health. This includes appropriate external stimulation. Among the risk factors related to dementia that scientists have identified, hearing loss is , brain injury, depression , social loneliness, low education level and other risk factors actually involve external stimulation factors to varying degrees. Transcranial AC stimulation and other methods are only preliminary discoveries, but based on current scientific evidence, interventions and preventive measures such as strengthening exercise, reducing obesity, and increasing social interactions with others can be tried in daily life. Group activities such as square dance combine music, dance, exercise and social functions, and there is evidence that dance activities are very helpful in protecting the cognitive abilities of the elderly, so they are worth trying. As for relatively static leisure activities, the latest research tells us that brain-acting activities such as sitting and playing computers and playing electronic games may be more beneficial to brain health than watching TV.
Southern Weekend reporter Wang Jiangtao
