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Riddles Can Clear up the Brain: Alzheimer’s and Mental Activity

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Table of Contents

Article Title-Lifelong brain-stimulating habits linked to lower Alzheimer’s protein levels

Article Author- Sarah Yang

Date of Article- 23 January 2012

Author of Study- Susan Landau

Date of Study- Published 23 January 2012

Article

Summary

Researchers at University of California Berkley set out to study the link between Alzheimer’s and life-long stimulating cognitive activity. Their study focused on the beta-amyloid, a protein who’s presence in the brain is believed to be the biological cause of Alzheimer’s. Beta-amyloid folds in fibrous sheets appears in large quantities in the brains of elderly with Alzheimer’s. The researchers, led by Susan Landau, brought in 65 healthy elderly people aged 60 and up to survey and find correlations relating to the beta-amyloid buildup. Landau and her team asked the participants to rate their cognitive activity based on what pre-determined mental activities the participants took part in. Unlike other research on Alzheimer’s, these questions referred not only to the subject’s current mental activity, but also their lifelong mental activity starting at age 6. Then psychologists scanned the participant’s brains using PET scans to measure beta-amyloid build-up and compared the scans to those of Alzheimer patients and modern 20 year-olds. What the team found showed a positive correlation between high levels of stimulating cognitive activity and low levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. When factors such as self-rated memory and physical activity were factored out of the results, the psychologists determined that the two factors must be linked together.

Potential Applications

This study takes a decent step in the reduction of beta-amyloid build-up in the brain and curing Alzheimer’s. Psychologists can confirm that a life of mental activity will keep the brain relatively free of beta-amyloid build-up which opens the door to what other effects on the brain life-long cognitive activity may or may not have. Whether or not life-long cognitive activity cures other brain ailments may even result from more studies such as this one. Most importantly, the greater understanding of the potential causes of Alzheimer’s will help doctors and psychologists work to cure this major disease faster.

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