“Brains at any age are capable of rewiring and changing. No one should be aging, thinking that it’s all downhill from here’ (Dr. Henry Mahncke).
This comment on brain plasticity, made by research neuroscientist, Dr. Henry Mahncke, in Episode 10: Rewiring Your Brain, echoes in my head, whenever I reflect on the goal of Growing Older Living Younger, namely to extend our health span by preserving a healthy mind in a healthy body.
My brain is a year older since that episode but I’m sure that by following my personal roadmap for aging well, my cognitive functions have not aged in parallel with my chronological age.
Preserving brain health, cognitive functions and warding off dementia, is a desire that is frequently expressed when I talk to men and women during the complimentary Growing Older Living Younger Discovery call I offer. (the link to book your call is shown below).
Many people are living into their 80s or 90s and have relatives or friends diagnosed with dementia. They may be aware that the prevalence of dementia is increasing dramatically. Prevalence refers to the proportion of people within a population at a given time who have a specific characteristic. Since dementia occurs more in elderly people, the more elderly people there are, the greater the number of people there will be who have dementia.
But as individuals we are more concerned about individual risk. I was intrigued to read that a recent study showed that the incidence of dementia in people of European ancestry living in Europe and the USA (that is the number of new cases in a population) has actually declined an average of 13% every decade over the last 30 years. Reflecting on what could be causing this decrease in the incidence of dementia, I suspect that it reflects an increasing understanding of the effects of lifestyle management, nutrition, targeted wellness products, exercise, socialization, sleep, and. keeping mentally active.
In that vein, I invited Dr. Mahncke back to Growing Older Living Younger to describe a new community based Brain Health Program that is being developed in conjunction with the YMCA of San Francisco and also to share updates on some of the studies we discussed in the earlier episode.
Dr. Mahncke is the CEO of Posit Science, the leading provider of plasticity-based brain training and assessments. BrainHQ is an online and app program of plasticity-based brain training exercises to improve cognitive measures like attention, memory, processing speed and executive functions. that impact real world activities like driving, balance, gait, mood, confidence and everyday cognitive functions.
To Learn More:
Connect with Dr. Henry Mahncke at: http://www.brainhq.com – you can also download the BrainHQ App LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-mahncke-3b89072/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brainhq/
Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch:
Order your copy of Growing Older Living Younger: The Science of Aging Gracefully and The Art of Retiring Comfortably at http://www.gillianlockitch.com
Schedule your free Growing Older Living Younger Discovery Call with me
Join the Growing Older Living Younger Private Community, to meet people, who like you, are discovering and sharing ways to age in great health.
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