Page 13 - Leisure Living Magazine June 2017

News About Clinical Trials
For Alzheimer’s Disease
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
Super-agers are people whose memory and at- tention span is above average for their age. It was determined by Geula (2016) a neurologist from Northwestern University’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center that super-agers can have numerous amyloid plaques in their brains (which are a sign of Alzheimer’s) but still maintain superior memory performance into their nineties and beyond. Alzheimer’s disease is currently diagnosed based on a person’s symp- toms such as memory loss. A final diagnosis can be made only after death by
looking at brain tissue. Geu- la and his colleagues wonder if the current approach to diagnose Alzheimer’s dis- ease is the best possible way to detect the disease. They also wonder if some people are protected from the tox- ic effects of plaques on their brain cells. A team at North- western is planning a thor- ough investigation into these two findings.
According to Maria
Shriver (2017) and her in-
terview with Lisa Feldman Barrett there is “grow- ing evidence that losing our memory and having aches and pains are preventable.” Barrett is an expert on super-agers and a neuroscientist from Northwestern. She says becoming a super-ager takes more than solving word puzzles to keep your brain mentally sharp, it takes performing and “pushing through” difficult tasks that are challenging. Her examples include learning a new language, taking an online college course or mas- tering a musical instrument. These types of activ- ities keep your brain youthful and increase your ability to pay attention longer.
Dynamic Aging a new book by Katy Bowman advocates changing the way you move to prevent aches and pains typically experienced when you age. One strategy to change is not to suck in your stomach to look thinner, rather relax it to prevent
health problems such as constipation. Another health tip is to strengthen your legs by how you get up and down from a chair. My favorite recom- mendation is to walk around in bare feet to stretch the muscles in your feet. All of these exercises are available to view online at www.today.com, Meet the ‘super-agers’ who defy the effects of old age.
Life expectancy is expected to triple to 14.6 million in the 85 plus population by 2040 (Edgar, 2017). Blue zones where people live relative free of diseases common to aging have been studied
by National Geographic to identify what these zones have in common. These commonalities include a healthy diet, walking, having a sense of purpose, taking a daily nap, and not overeat- ing. Communities around the world are adopting these practices to make their area healthier. Alzheimer’s re- searcher Claudia Kawas, MD and her colleagues at the University of California found a connection between a healthy heart and reduc-
ing the chance of dementia through the following commonalities with Blue Zone characteristics. These people drank 1-2 cups of coffee a day, read daily, participated in physical and nonphysical leisure activities and had an alcoholic drink or two a day. She says the connection between how you live and brain health may include socializing that goes along with the afternoon cocktail and socialization may be more important than the drink itself.
What new challenging activity will you “push yourself through” to learn this summer? Work your brain and make it a summer to remember!
Theresa Bowen, Ph.D. is an Educational Consultant and Dis- tance Education professor. She conducts technical training for commu- nity colleges, universities, and small businesses. Dr. Bowen earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Toledo, OH. When she isn’t glued to a computer she en- joys playing piano, making videos, and painting.
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