Neurology

Hello fellow neuro-enthusiasts! I recently came across an article on one of my favourite topics - neuroplasticity - by neuroscientist Dr Dominic Ng. It's very accessibly written and is applicable to us all, so I thought it was worth signposting to you!

www.brainhealthdecoded.com

A neuroscientist explains what neuroplasticity is - and how to unlock it at any age.

Dr. Ng outlines six 'evidence-based ways to keep your brain young, adaptable and primed for growth'. You can read all about them via the link above; I've picked my highlights from each below:

1. Stay Connected 'A 2023 Nature Aging study found that older adults with regular weekly social contact had 30-50% lower dementia risk compared to isolated peers.'

2. Eat Brain Healthy Foods 'Your brain may only account for about 2 % of your body weight, but it burns roughly 20 % of its energy so what you eat determines how well those neurons fire, repair, and form new connections.'

3. Sleep 7-9 Hours Nightly 'Brain scans show that chronic short sleepers (under 7 hours) actually lose brain volume in areas responsible for focus, memory formation, and executive function.'

4. Practice Daily Stress Relief 'A recent review concluded that long-term psychosocial stress (worry, job strain, social isolation) consistently leads to worse performance in memory, focus, and problem-solving tasks.'

5. Move Your Body 'When you exercise, your muscles actually talk to your brain. They release special proteins that travel through your bloodstream like messengers, telling your neurons to grow stronger and form new connections.'

6. Embrace Curiosity and Novelty 'When researchers compared older adults learning brand-new skills versus practicing familiar ones, those tackling completely fresh challenges showed stronger cognitive performance and slower decline.'

I hope you find the piece as motivating as I did - for myself and my patients!...

P.S. If you're interested, take a read of the neuroplasticity and recovery 'plateau' article I wrote last year:

www.theothub.com

As an Occupational Therapist working in neuro-rehabilitation, two words arise frequently in conversation with other clinicians and patients: 'Neuroplasticity' and the concept of the recovery 'plateau'. As therapists, we are passionately driven by the former. Whereas the latter concept - that progress tails off after a period of time - is arguable, usually unhelpful and very often not due to the patient themselves. This article explains why we 'love and loathe' these two words respectively...