And there are things you might do right now to help your brain age more gracefully.
Experts in This Article
Ethan Russo, MD, is a neurologist and medical researcher.
Joao Verissimo, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
What are cognitive functions
First, a quick brain lesson.
Basically, cognitive functions are how we think and use our brains.
They involve processes like attention, perception, learning, and problem-solving.
Ethan Russo, MD, is a neurologist and medical researcher.
Unfortunately, most of our cognitive abilities do not age like a fine wine.
The reason for the decline is structural.
The more connections lost, the more cognition lost.
What happens to cognition as we age
Its not all bad news for our agingbrains.
Alerting, as the name suggests, refers to being ready to receive some kind of stimuli or information.
Orienting is how you move information around in different areas of the brain and shift your attention.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
Its an example of time being on the brains side.
Simply put, Dr. Russo says that cognition is often a use it or lose it proposition.
Ethan Russo, MD, is a neurologist and medical researcher.
He says its all about keeping your mind active and challenged so the connections in your brain stay strong.
And you should also create new connections.
Your lifestyle also impacts how your brain ages.
According to theMayo Clinic, here are seven ways to keep yourbrain healthyas you age.
Be a lifelong learner.No matter what your job status is, continue to test your brain andlearnnew things.
Either way, exercise ultimately helps your brain.
Manage stress.Remember how Dr. Russo said cognitive decline is from atrophy of the brain?
Well, chronicstresscan accelerate that shrinking process.
Sleep.Getting enough quality sleep is critical for brain health atevery stage of life.
Drinking too much too often will result in decreased cognitive performance.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
