The amount of the brain's white and grey matter is associated to changes in cognitive function as we age.
White matter is made up of myelinated axons, which are used to transmit signals between neurons, whereas grey matter is made up of biological structures like capillaries, synapses, and the cell bodies of neurons.
Around age 10, the volume of grey matter starts to gradually decrease. According to research, those who are more physically and mentally fit have less brain atrophy than people who are less healthy.
Studies have also shown that enthusiasm, solid connections, and regular activity are essential for preserving a healthy brain as we age.
Therefore, we advise: Discover your passion and nurture it! The size and power of the arrow are determined by grit, or perseverance. Focus on the process after identifying your area of interest. Be prepared to accept challenges! Challenges are essential for growth, he continued.
A recent special edition of Brain Sciences included the paper.
Therefore, we advise: Discover your passion and nurture it! The size and power of the arrow are determined by grit, or perseverance. Focus on the process after identifying your area of interest. Be prepared to accept challenges! Challenges are essential for growth, he continued.
A recent special edition of Brain Sciences included the paper.
Physical exercise
An active lifestyle is beneficial for preserving cognitive and neurological health across the age spectrum, especially in higher order functions including switching between activities, working memory, and cognitive inhibition, according to observational research.
In their report, the researchers observed that these results have been supported by intervention studies.
For instance, older adults who exercised for an hour three times a week for six months had more grey and white matter volume than controls.
According to additional study, exercise improves the efficiency of brain regions associated to attention and attention regulation, daily tasks, and cognitive reserve, a store of mental capacity that protects against age-related cognitive decline.
Relationships
According to studies included in the current paper, keeping up social connections improves cognitive reserve by fostering cognitive strategies, increased brain growth, and synaptic density, all of which guard against pathological processes.
Greater social networks have been found to be associated with larger orbitofrontal cortex (engaged in decision-making) and amygdala volumes, according to imaging studies.
These studies also show that persons who are less socially active had more white matter lesions.
However, other research show no connection between social interactions and cognitive function in later life. Thus, the researchers argue that stronger proof from randomised controlled trials is required to establish causality.
Passion
Passion is "a strong feeling for a personally important value or preference that inspires intents and acts to reflect that value or preference," according to the researchers' definition in their article.
According to other studies, enthusiasm is associated with improved health and performance in the workplace as well as more deliberate practise among football players.
The researchers added that enthusiasm may thus be crucial for preserving brain plasticity. Therefore repetition, use it or lose it, use it to enhance it, and intensity were the words they used.
Someone who is enthusiastic about learning new languages is an illustration of this. According to the researchers, a person's passion may spur them to practise their second language more and thereby develop stronger grey matter, brain cells, and synapses.
They added that research has connected psychological characteristics like tenacity and a growth mindset with the formation of grey matter in various regions of the brain.
The researchers also identified a number of articles that claimed the natural ageing process, neurological and mental illnesses, and reduced motor function are all linked to antisocial conduct, sadness, and anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure).
As a result, they hypothesised that a "vicious cycle" may be in motion, whereby declining physical activity may lead to declining social involvement and declining wellbeing.
The dopamine system, which is essential for attention, learning, goal-directed behaviour, and rewards, may be related to how passion lends direction to the subject of interest. The attention required for achieving long-term goals may be provided by passion, according to the researchers' findings.
Underlying processes
When asked how engaging in hobbies, socialising, and physical exercise enhances brain health, Not associated with the study, Art Kramer, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, told MNT:
Because there are great animal models for physical activity (typically wheel running with rodents), we know more about the mechanisms underlying physical activity than we do about social interactions or learning new abilities, according to a multi-decade literature on the topic.
"The animal literature reveals a range of brain modifications linked to physical exercise, including the development of additional neurons in memory-supporting brain regions, an increase in synaptic connections between neurons, and changes in vascular structure. In animal models, elevated levels of neurotransmitters and nerve growth factors have also been linked to higher levels of physical activity.
- Dr. Art Kramer, emeritus professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign
The scientists came to the conclusion that preserving brain health requires regular physical activity, social connections, and enthusiasm.
Dr. Sigmundsson clarified that their article is only a review and that intervention studies emphasising increased passion, physical activity, and social interaction need to be carried out to prove their hypothesis when asked about the paper's shortcomings.
Dr. Kramer continued, "There are a number of limitations, including the best way to personalise these factors to enhance cognitive and brain function in individuals as well as the best way to combine intellectual engagement, physical activity, and social interactions to maximise their advantages across the lifespan and with both patients and non-patients."
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