Exercise

Grow your brain and feel good too!

Dementia and its related conditions are a growing health problem in the U.S. population, with current estimates ranging from 4.7 to 5.8 million people with the disease. By 2050, this number could be as large as 13.8 million. The causes and presentations of dementia range from build up of amyloid plaques/neurofibrillary tangles within the brain, vascular events (TIA, stroke) brought on by high blood pressure and diabetes, to increased genetic risk due to the APOE e4 allele.

What we know at this point in time, is that the best way to reduce your risk of developing this debilitating disease, is to exercise. In mice models exercise increases vascular health and increases a type of protein in the brain called BDNF. BDNF promotes neurogenesis (the growth of neurons) and increases synapse numbers and function.

So do yourself and your brain some good, and exercise - it doesn’t matter what, do whatever you will do consistently and on a regular basis, whether it is running, swimming, biking, hiking or walking the stairs at work. Get your heart rate up for over 30 minutes and break-out in a sweat. You’ll feel better after and your brain will thank you too.

Neuropsychology Minute