Unlocking the Secrets to Maintaining Cognitive Vitality in Your 40s
by AARP
In cooperation withAARP: Brain Health
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Brain Health is a unique series focused on how to help you age well. These stories have been created in cooperation with AARP and Word In Black.
The 40s are a dynamic time in life, with the hustle and bustle of career, family or both. It’s a dynamic time for your brain too. By middle age, our brains excel at reasoning and using experience to reach strong conclusions, says David S. Knopman, M.D., professor of neurology at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic. Emotional intelligence — the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and tune in to others’ feelings — is also strong.
The brain does experience changes during this decade, however. Its overall volume shrinks slightly, as do connections among neurons. And while Alzheimer’s disease — the leading cause of dementia — is rare in people under 50, the biological changes associated with it, such as the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, often happen 15 to 20 years before symptoms occur, says Jennifer Rose Molano, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Health conditions and habits that can eventually lead to vascular dementia, caused by reduced blood flow in the brain, are also common in the 40s. High blood pressure often develops in the early 40s, for instance, and about a quarter of adults are completely sedentary in their free time.
But take heart. What you do now can help protect your brain from the biological changes that can rob you of your memory later.
TO LEARN HOW HEALTHY HABITS NOW CAN PAY OFF LATER, CLICK THIS AARP LINK
Keywords: Brain health, Cognitive function, Aging brain, Memory improvement, Mental wellness
#BrainHealth #CognitiveFunction #HealthyAging
