Canadian researcher published earlier this year a study showing that people who regularly used two languages showed signs of dementia 4 years later than people who used only one language!

It looks like bilingual brains are more resistant to the effects of cognitive decline. Previous studies by the same researchers had established that bilingual people were better at paying attention and ignoring distractions. Ellen Bialystok, the lead researcher on these studies, believes that this is because bilingual people always have to decide which language to use and suppress the other. This would provide practice in focusing attention, sorting through conflicting information and ignoring distraction.

Bilingualism may delay dementia in the same way that mental activity is thought to, that is by contributing to building cognitive brain reserve. However, we don’t know yet whether the same effects would appear if you start learning a language at 50.

Read the original journal article: Neuropsychologia, Volume 45, Feb 2007, pp.459-464

Late last week, I read an interesting article posted by Mobile Crunch, a blog site focused on trends in the mobile wireless world. They reported on a study by the International Journal of Neuroscience that shares it’s recent finding on a study of 300 mobile phone users and the effects on the brain. Read their summary of that report here….

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Brain Activity Reduces risk of Developing Neurodegenerative Diseases

A new study now confirms our beliefs: Train your brain on a regular basis and you should be able to considerably reduce risks to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

In Chicago, a major 5 year project that studied over 700 patients aged 80 and over has just come to an end and the medical team’s findings are unequivocal: an elderly person not practicing a brain activity is 2.6 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than a person with regular and stimulating brain activities such as reading, writing, listening to music or any other cultural activity.

The study also emphasizes the fact that these observations still apply when the activity is only taken up at an advanced age.

So it may never be too late to start training!

source: Reuters Health, Neurology 27, 2007

Adding years to your life depends on many things – good genes are a start, but certain lifestyle habits can have quite a significant impact. Living longer is one thing, and living a cognitively strong life can be quite another. Health and Medical magazines have long touted the benefits of certain healthy behaviors for body and mind, and this theme is being expressed in an ever more diverse set of publications. I wanted to share an article you from this month’s National Geographic Magazine. In the article “Complex Miracles of Health and Simple Ways to Enhance It”, they profiled three global hotspots of longevity and found living proof of lifestyle’s powerful effect. Check it out at www.nationalgeographic.com/healthyliving. Also discussed are tips for enhancing your own longevity profile including “Seven Basics for a Better Brain”. These include:

• Laugher has been shown to reduce at least four of the neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response.
• Children who eat more meals with their families feel happier about their lives and prospects for the future
• Breath deeply for five minutes, twice a day
• Drinking more water helps your brain stay focused, think faster, and remember more
• A short, brisk walk helps clear stress hormones from your bloodstream
• Fish rich in omega-3, like salmon, can improve brain function and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease
• Exercise sends oxygen to your brain – improving memory, reasoning skills and concentration

It’s all a reminder that we have the opportunity to lead long, healthy, active and cognitively strong lives.

More news suggesting music can help to sharpen the brain.

“Experience with music appears to help with many other things in life, potentially transferring to activities like reading or picking up nuances in tones of voices or hearing sounds in a noisy classroom better,” researcher Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University”

Read the article here

Another report on how exercise can help our brain.

“Tests on mice showed they grew new brain cells in a certain region of the brain that is known to be affected in the age related memory decline that begins around age 30 for most humans”.

Read more here

Consumer report has 5 tips on keeping your memory sharp, which includes computer based brain games. All great tips which we strongly recommend.

Read here

The right kind of cocoa might be great for your brain.

“This raises the prospect of using flavanols in the treatment of dementia, marked by decreased blood flow in the brain, and in maintaining overall cardiovascular health”.

Read all about the benefits of cocoa here

Here is a recent study that came out last week.

“Dr Mark Baxter, Wellcome Trust senior research fellow at Oxford University, said: “This study is exciting because it reveals a group of brain cells in the adult human brain that are continuously regenerating”

Read more on this study here

Here is a recent study out of Princeton University that tries to link sleep and brain cells.

“Losing sleep may cause the brain to stop producing new brain cells, a study conducted by New Jersey’s Princeton University has found”

To read more click here