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2014-10-04 16:17:04
David Robson
Memory loss has to be one of our biggest fears. Names, words, facts and faces
nothing is spared.
As the latest video from the Head Squeeze team describes above, mental
deterioration was once thought to be an inevitable consequence of ageing,
thanks to the steady erosion of our brain matter: we lose about 0.5% of our
brain volume every year. The hippocampus the region responsible for memory
and learning was thought to weather particularly badly; by the time we are
90, many of us have lost around a third of its grey matter.
Fortunately, recent research has shown that the brain is not concrete, but
certain regions can adapt and grow. In 2000, a study of London taxi drivers,
for instance, showed that the 4-year training of London s 25,000 streets showed
a remarkable growth in the hippocampus compared to bus drivers who early learnt
a fixed number of routes. The scientists think that, by memorising the maps of
London, the brain had built many more of the synaptic connections that allow
the brain cells to communicate with each other. In other words, it may be
possible to train the brain to compensate for some of the neural decline that
accompanies our expanding waistlines and receding hairlines.
Challenging your brain could be one way of preserving your recollections
though the value of commercial brain training apps is debatable; some
experiments seem to show that while people may become a whizz at the games on
their screen, the improvements fail to transfer to daily life. But other, more
traditional activities like learning a musical instrument or a second
language do seem to have some protective benefits, at least on short-term
recall. Ideally, it is probably best to keep your brain active throughout your
life, well before you begin to approach your dotage.
Exercise and a healthy diet are also thought to offer some protection against
dementia. As can an active social life since regular contact with other
people is also thought to excite our neurons and preserve our synapses.
Ensuring that you regularly get a good night's sleep helps too.
Of course, nothing can guarantee health and vitality in old age. But these few
simple measures might give you the best possible chances of preserving your
wits against the ravages of time.