The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. Its network of electrical systems modulates all human experience – respiratory, heart rate, movement, feelings, memory,, cognitionand more!
This complexity means that there is a lot of potential for things to be mistaken. Each year in the United States, some 1.2 million people receive a diagnosis of neurological disorders, According to research from the Family Caregiver Alliance. This leaves between 13.3 and 16.1 million Americans living with brain diseases at any time.
This poses the question: what can we do to keep our brain healthy? We asked the psychologist and neuroscientist Marlen Z. Gonzalez, Executive Director of Community Neuroscience Initiative (CNI), a project organized at the Bronfenbenner Center for Translational Research in Cornell, which seeks to make neurosciences more accessible and more useful.
Gonzalez has provided four actions based on evidence that promotes brain health. (This review article Provides a summary in science of his advice, she said.))
“We have called these” grandmother rules “,” said Gonzalez. “It’s because your grandmother probably told you to do these things first. But now neuroscience supports it. ”
1. Cardiovascular health is important.
“Your brain needs oxygen,” said Gonzalez. “Move your body. It’s good for everyone at each age, and above all good for your brain. ” There are dozens of research examples on how the exercise improves health. Gonzalez specifically cited An increasing research set This suggests that exercise plays an important role in prevention of Parkinson’s disease and can even slow the progression of symptoms for people already diagnosed.
2. For good, go to sleep.
Sleep is important to consolidate memory and clean brain waste, Gonzalez said. She quotes research by Gina Poe, professor of neuroscience at the University of California in Los Angeles, which shows how essential sleep is for memory, learning and emotional regulation. Poe’s research explore sleep as a tool to prevent and treat opioids dependencejob-traumatic stress Disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Be in community.
“Go out and play!” Gonzalez said. “We know that social support is about as good for you as leaving one pack per day smoking Help. “Gonzalez personally study how social connections have an impact on the functioning of the brain, and in particular, the mechanisms used by the brain to solve problems.
4. Eat fresh foods.
“There seems to be a relationship between the quantities of the processed foods that people eat and the pathology of the health of brain health,” said Gonzalez. Research published last year clearly demonstrates a connection. Although scientists do not fully understand the factors at stake, they suspect that this has to do with the impact of ultra-transformed food on brain regulation of food behavior and metabolic systems, Gonzalez explained.
The message to take away: the lifestyle choices that include exercise, enough sleep, social connection and healthy food are the best ways to protect your neurological health.