Train your brain while you move: Doctor reveals simple brain trick that could keep Alzheimer's away
A naturopathic doctor, Dr. Heather Sandison, who specialises in neurocognitive medicine, has greatly stressed the integration of physical and cognitive exercises to bolster brain health and potentially prevent and/or reverse Alzheimer's disease.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Her unique approach of combining brain exercises with physical activity is called the 'dual-task' activity, which simultaneously engages the body and mind, thereby enhancing neuroplasticity and
. A journal published in the
, by Dr. Sandison, mentions the importance and working of this technique known as "dual-tasking".
The science behind dual-tasking
What Dr. Sandison means by dual tasking is an activity which involves performing physical and mental activities concurrently.
For instance, while you are out enjoying your morning walk, you can engage in conversation or solve puzzles, and the combination of the two is known as the cognitive effort. This synergy activates various brain regions, fostering new neural connections and strengthening existing ones.
If and when you engage in such practices that are particularly beneficial, as they mimic real-life scenarios, you prepare the brain to handle the complex tasks more efficiently and effectively.
Move more, think harder
Walking while talking, moving while memorising steps or balancing and solving math problem are not just multitasking tricks, they stimulate the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, motor cortex and basal ganglia–which are known to enhance memory, coordination, attention span and neuroplasticity, in turn this all helps to
and Alzheimer's. As we age, it is of utmost importance that we keep ourselves and our minds engaged, not to let our ability to make and form new connections deteriorate with time.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Maintaining this flexibility becomes essential to delay or even prevent cognitive deterioration.
These four types of exercises that really work
highlights four main types of exercises that, when mixed with brain work, can significantly improve mental performance.
Aerobic exercises:
Anything that gets your heart to pump, walking, swimming, cycling. All of which also increases blood flow to your brain.
Cognitive exercises:
Solving puzzles, playing memory games (Sudoku, chess) or even learning a new language, help stretch the brain capacity.
Strength training
: Lifting weights or resistance training supports metabolic health and balances hormones, both of which are tied to brain function.
Balance and coordination:
Practising yoga, Tai chi and performing similar activities improves focus, proprioception and brain-body sync.
For instance, while you are on a treadmill, solve puzzle or play memory games, the results are found to be more profound. These small changes train the brain to handle complexity and keep it agile, which is something with often lose as we age.
A disease as fatal as Alzheimer's may not have a cure yet, but the science behind this is clear, prevention is better than a cure, and it is more powerful. By simply combining moving your body and engaging your mind, you can boost brain health and potentially lower your risk of cognitive decline.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
13 hours ago
- India Today
Dementia, Alzheimer's or just brain fog? Here's how to tell the difference
For years, conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's disease were often brushed aside in India as issues of "old age" or even mistaken for personality with rising awareness and better healthcare access, families and doctors are starting to recognise these as medical concerns reported closer to home that deserve timely to the Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), more than 5.3 million Indians are currently living with dementia, and this number is expected to triple by 2050 due to the country's ageing DEMENTIA VS ALZHEIMER'S: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?While people often use the terms interchangeably, dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not the same is an umbrella term, used to describe a group of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily life. It happens when cells in the brain slowly begin to die. In dementia, symptoms can include forgetfulness, confusion, having trouble speaking, having difficulty in comprehending conversations, pulling away, and change in is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 60% to 70% of all dementia cases in the of dementia as the disease and Alzheimer's as one of the main are other forms of dementia too, like vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia. Each has different causes and Alzheimer's disease, the brain undergoes physical changes, including the build-up of abnormal proteins that slowly damage and kill brain leads to progressive memory loss, confusion, and changes in personality and dementia can strike in the 60s and above, symptoms are now striking as young as the 40s, known as young-onset DOES BRAIN FOG FIT IN?Unlike dementia and Alzheimer's, brain fog is not a medical diagnosis, but a term people use to describe a temporary state of mental cloudiness. Think of dementia as the disease and Alzheimer's as one of the main causes. () It can feel like difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or struggling to find words. Brain fog can be triggered by stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, or illness, including the after Covid-19 effects or long fog is usually reversible but dementia is not since it is a brain-shrinking disease. Brain fog can mimic some symptoms of dementia, like confusion, forgetting instructions of something you're can also happen because of an illness or a side effect of medication or a symptom of an underlying condition, according to Cleveland fog feels like difficulty concentrating, confusion, fatigue, forgetfulness, losing your train of thought, mental exhaustion, not having the right words, slow thought process and reaction time and trouble paying attention. Brain fog is usually reversible but dementia is not since it is a brain-shrinking disease. () In some cases, many lifestyle factors can trigger brain fog, signalling brain tumors, which may initially manifest with subtle cognitive DIAGNOSIS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEWhile there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer's, early diagnosis can help slow progression and improve quality of sooner it is detected, the better it can be managed, whether through medication, lifestyle changes, or caregiver signs like frequently forgetting appointments, misplacing objects, repeating questions, or withdrawing from social activities should not be ignored, especially if they worsen over brain fog, though milder, can still be disruptive. Treating it often means improving sleep, managing stress, and correcting nutritional deficiencies (vitamin D or B12). If it persists, a medical evaluation can rule out more serious Watch
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Mind, Body & Heart: All you need to know about Periods span
menopause dementia risk brain health oestradiol Women with early onset of periods, and later-- which means a longer reproductive span -- can have a healthier brain ageing in life, according to a study showed how a woman's reproductive years may shapelater in life and also reduce the risk of dementia. It also suggested the role of(or the lack thereof) in the development of levels rise at puberty, remain high during most of a woman's reproductive life, and then decline sharply around menopause. This drop in oestradiol has been linked to an increased risk of dementia and other age-related brain conditions.'These findings support the idea that oestradiol -- the most potent and prevalent form of oestrogen during a woman's reproductive years -- may help protect the brain as it ages,' said lead researcher Eileen Lueders, Associate Professor from the University of Auckland's School of research may point toward the potential for health interventions such as hormone treatment in the years leading up to menopause and immediately afterward to combat an increased risk of Alzheimer's for some team applied a machine learning approach to analyse both cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a sample of 1,006 postmenopausal women who underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging twice, approximately 2 years apart. Women with earlier menarche, later menopause, and a longer reproductive span (that is, the time interval between menarche and menopause) showed less brain ageing. Other factors -- like genetics, lifestyle, and overall health -- also influence brain ageing.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Finger movements may hold the secret to Alzheimer's diagnosis, new study reveals
A groundbreaking study has found a possible link between finger movement patterns and brain changes in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which can give rise to a new non-invasive diagnostic method. The research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, examines how subtle variations in finger movement, timing, rhythm, and coordination can be indicative of changes in the brain structure characteristic of dementia. This is an important issue given that Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, accounts for 60–80% of the total number of cases globally. Why are finger movements significant? The study was carried out by Junpei Sugioka and some neurologists and neuroscientists from Japan. They used a voxel-based analysis technique called VSRAD (Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease) to compare brain atrophy patterns among patients with Alzheimer's disease. The software helps in detecting changes in a few regions of the brain, largely the medial temporal region, which is critical for cognition and memory. By correlating measures of finger movement with brain scans, the scientists discovered dramatic correlations between motor control dysfunction and brain volume loss in patients. That is, worsening fine motor skills—too commonly overlooked—may offer early biomarkers of neurodegeneration. Implications for early detection "Our results suggest that testing of motor function, and particularly finger movement analysis, could become a viable screening test for cognitive impairment," the authors wrote. This is especially significant in rural or low-resource settings, where access to expensive MRI scans and neurological tests might be limited. Finger-tapping tests, possibly integrated into mobile health software, could be scalable alternatives. Further, screening with such could be done as a regular checkup for older persons. The wider context Aging remains the biggest risk for dementia. As the world's population ages, early diagnostic technologies that are low-cost become increasingly important. Technologies like VSRAD and motor assessment with non-invasive devices may lead the way to community-level screening, allowing earlier treatment and improved outcomes for the patient. They recommend additional longitudinal and cross-validated research in various populations. If true, these results have the potential to transform clinicians' screening for Alzheimer's, redirecting attention away from memory tests alone and toward subtle physical signs that can be observed years before cognitive symptoms develop fully. Is this a more general problem? This study's findings reveal not just a new diagnostic pathway but also signal the possibility of a greater and underestimated issue: systemic neglect of motor function as an early indication of neurological decline. In practice, cognitive symptoms like confusion or memory impairment are traditionally always given first attention, with physical signs like decelerated finger movement or small coordination issues being generally demoted to insignificance or irrelevance. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
